keep peace

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiom

   to avoid fighting or arguing, and stay friendly with other people or countries.

   Grammar: Used without an object; often followed by 'with someone': keep peace with your neighbors.

   Patterns

   • keep peace with someone
   • keep peace between people
   • keep peace in a family

   The two brothers finally learned to keep peace with each other.

   She tries to keep peace in the office by never taking sides.

   Both countries agreed to keep peace along the border.

2. 2phraseidiom

   to stop people from fighting or causing trouble, especially in a public place.

   Grammar: Usually said as 'keep the peace' with 'the'; it can take a place after it: keep the peace in the city.

   Patterns

   • keep the peace
   • keep the peace in a place

   Extra police were sent to keep the peace during the protest.

   The teacher had to keep the peace between the two arguing students.

Common combinations

keep peace with someone

He works hard to keep peace with his difficult neighbors.

keep the peace

Officers stayed all night to keep the peace.

keep peace between countries

Diplomats hope to keep peace between the two nations.

try to keep peace

She always tries to keep peace at family dinners.

Synonyms and how they differ

make peace

Use this when people stop fighting after a quarrel; 'keep peace' means you never start fighting in the first place.

keep the calm

This focuses on staying quiet and untroubled, not on avoiding conflict between people.

Opposites

Word family

peacekeeper noun

a person or soldier whose job is to stop fighting between groups

Commonly confused: keep peace or piece?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “keep peace”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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