A truce is a temporary agreement between opponents to stop fighting. When two countries at war call a truce, they agree to pause the battle for a set period, perhaps to exchange prisoners or negotiate peace terms. When two friends who've been arguing call a truce, they agree to stop the conflict, at least for now.

The key word is temporary. A truce isn't necessarily a permanent peace or a final solution. It's more like pressing pause on a conflict. During a truce, both sides agree to hold their fire and give each other breathing room. Sometimes a truce leads to lasting peace. Other times, when the truce ends, fighting resumes.

You might hear about a Christmas truce, when soldiers on opposite sides stopped fighting during the holiday. Siblings might call a truce during a long car trip because their parents insisted. Sports teams don't call truces, but players in a video game battle might agree to a temporary truce to team up against a bigger threat.

The word can also appear in the phrase to call a truce, meaning to propose stopping the conflict. When you've been bickering with your brother all afternoon and finally suggest calling a truce, you're saying: let's both agree to stop, at least until dinner.