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peacekeeper

/ˈpiˌskipər/
IPA guide

Other forms: peacekeepers

The noun peacekeeper means exactly what it sounds like: a person who tries to keep things peaceful, often by mediating conflicts or calming people down.

You are a peacekeeper if you're the diplomat in your family, the one who negotiates between feuding siblings or placates a cranky grandfather to ensure that everyone has a pleasant Thanksgiving dinner. The most common way to use the word peacekeeper, however, is to talk about troops that are sent into another country for non-military purposes. For example, the United Nations often uses peacekeepers to calm tensions within countries in danger of civil war or violent uprisings.

Definitions of peacekeeper
  1. noun
    someone who keeps peace
    “she's the peacekeeper in that family”
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    type of:
    defender, guardian, protector, shielder
    a person who cares for persons or property
  2. noun
    a member of a military force that is assigned (often with international sanction) to preserve peace in a trouble area
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    type of:
    soldier
    an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
  3. noun
    the pistol of a law officer in the old West
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    type of:
    handgun, pistol, shooting iron, side arm
    a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘peacekeeper'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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