An armistice is an agreement between enemies to stop fighting while they work out the terms of peace. It's not the same as surrendering or making peace: it's more like pressing pause on a war so both sides can negotiate without more people dying.

The most famous armistice in history ended World War I on November 11, 1918, at exactly 11:00 in the morning. After four years of terrible fighting, the armies stopped shooting and climbed out of their trenches. That moment, called Armistice Day (now Veterans Day in America and Remembrance Day in other countries), is still remembered every year on November 11.

Think of an armistice like a timeout in a heated argument between two classmates. They stop yelling at each other, but they haven't apologized or worked things out yet. They've just agreed to stop the immediate conflict so cooler heads can prevail. During an armistice, soldiers stay in position and keep their weapons, but they stop attacking each other.

An armistice can last for days, months, or even years while diplomats hammer out a formal peace treaty.