Meaning & use
peace
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Meanings
noununcountable
A period without war or fighting between countries or groups.
Grammar: No plural and no article in general use: peace returned, but a lasting peace is also possible.
Patterns
- peace between X and Y
- peace with someone
- make peace
The two countries signed a treaty to secure peace.
Peace came to the region after years of conflict.
Delegates met to negotiate a peace between the rival groups.
noununcountable
Calm and quiet, with no noise or disturbance around you.
Grammar: Usually follows in: we ate in peace; also used in peace and quiet.
Patterns
- in peace
- peace and quiet
I just want some peace and quiet to finish my book.
The village is a place of peace on winter mornings.
The children finally fell asleep and the house was at peace.
noununcountable
A feeling of inner calm, free from worry or fear.
Grammar: Often with mind or inner: peace of mind; in peace with yourself.
Patterns
- peace of mind
- at peace with something
Insurance gives her peace of mind when she travels.
After the apology he felt at peace.
She found peace in long walks by the sea.
noununcountable
Harmony and friendly relations between people, without arguments.
Grammar: Used with keep, make or disturb: keep the peace.
Patterns
- keep the peace
- make peace with someone
The neighbors made peace after years of quarrelling.
Officers were sent to keep the peace at the protest.
He gave her flowers as a peace offering.
Common combinations
- peace treaty
- The peace treaty ended the war.
- lasting peace
- Everyone hoped for a lasting peace.
- peace and quiet
- We went to the cabin for some peace and quiet.
- keep the peace
- Soldiers were deployed to keep the peace.
- make peace with
- She made peace with her past.
- at peace
- He looked at peace as he slept.
Synonyms and how they differ
- calm
- Calm describes a quiet state in a moment or a person, whereas peace can also mean the lack of war.
- tranquility
- Tranquility is a more formal word for deep, undisturbed stillness, usually of a place or mind.
- harmony
- Harmony stresses people getting along or parts fitting together, rather than simply the absence of trouble.
- truce
- A truce is a temporary agreement to stop fighting, while peace is meant to be longer lasting.
Opposites
Word family
- peaceful adjective
- calm or without violence
- peacefully adverb
- in a calm or non-violent way
- peaceable adjective
- inclined to avoid conflict
- peacemaker noun
- a person who brings an end to a quarrel
- peacetime noun
- a period when a country is not at war
Commonly confused: peace or piece?
peace vs piece
Piece, meaning a part of something, sounds identical to peace but is spelled differently.
Practice
After the argument, the two friends decided to make ______ and move on.
Choose one answer.
Make peace is the fixed phrase meaning to end a quarrel. Piece sounds the same but means a part, so it is the tempting wrong choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “peace”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.