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Meaning & use

extend olive branch

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UK/ɪkˈstend ən ˈɒlɪv brɑːntʃ/
US/ɪkˈstɛnd ən ˈɑːləv bræntʃ/

Meaning

  1. phraseidiomfigurative

    To offer a friendly gesture to someone you have quarreled with, hoping to end the conflict and make peace.

    Grammar: Verb changes with tense: she extended an olive branch; usually followed by to someone.

    Patterns

    • extend an olive branch to someone
    • extend an olive branch after something

    After weeks of silence, Maria extended an olive branch by inviting her sister to dinner.

    The company extended an olive branch to the striking workers with a new pay offer.

    He extended an olive branch to his old rival, hoping they could work together again.

Word forms

third person singularextends an olive branch
past tenseextended an olive branch
-ing formextending an olive branch

Common combinations

extend an olive branch to a rival
The mayor extended an olive branch to her rival on the council.
willing to extend an olive branch
Neither neighbor was willing to extend an olive branch first.
extend an olive branch after a feud
They extended an olive branch after the long family feud.
a gesture extending an olive branch
The gift was seen as a gesture extending an olive branch.

Synonyms and how they differ

make peace
Make peace is plainer and covers the whole act of ending a conflict, while extending an olive branch is only the first friendly offer.
hold out a hand
Hold out a hand is more informal and personal, and it suggests offering help or friendship rather than formal reconciliation.
reach out
Reach out is a general way to contact someone and does not always imply a past quarrel.
bury the hatchet
Bury the hatchet means both sides agree to stop fighting, whereas extending an olive branch is one side's offer that may be refused.

Opposites

declare warburn bridges

Word family

olive branch noun
a symbol or act offering peace
extension noun
the act of extending something
extend verb
to offer or stretch out

Commonly confused: extend olive branch or offer an olive leaf?

extend olive branch vs offer an olive leaf

Only olive branch is used in the idiom; olive leaf is not a standard variant.

Practice

After the argument, Tom decided to ______ by apologizing first.

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