4 ADJ A peaceful place or time is quiet, calm, and free from disturbance. □ …a peaceful Georgian house in the heart of Dorset. ● peace|ful|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ Except for traffic noise, the night passed peacefully.
peace|ful|ly /piː sfʊli/
1 ADV [ADV after v] If you say that someone died peacefully , you mean that they suffered no pain or violence when they died. □ He died peacefully on 10th December after a short illness.
2 → see also peaceful
peace|keep|er /piː skiːpə r / (peacekeepers ) also peace-keeper
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Peacekeepers are soldiers who are members of a peacekeeping force. □ There's been much fear that the United Nations peacekeepers would be under attack in a situation like that.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] If you describe a country or an organization as a peacekeeper , you mean that it often uses its influence or armed forces to try to prevent wars or violent conflicts in the world. □ They want the United Nations to play a bigger role as the world's peacekeeper.
peace|keep|ing /piː skiːp I ŋ/ also peace-keeping N‑UNCOUNT [usu N n] A peacekeeping force is a group of soldiers that is sent to a country where there is war or fighting, in order to try to prevent more violence. Peacekeeping forces are usually made up of troops from several different countries. □ …the possibilities of a U.N. peacekeeping force monitoring the ceasefire in the country.
pea ce-loving ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe someone as peace-loving , you mean that they try to avoid quarrelling or fighting with other people. □ By and large, these people are peace-loving, law-abiding citizens.
peace|maker /piː sme I kə r / (peacemakers ) also peace-maker , peace maker N‑COUNT You can describe an organization, a country or a person as a peacemaker when they try to persuade countries or people to stop fighting or quarrelling. □ …the Labour government's vision of acting as a peacemaker and mediator.
peace|making /piː sme I k I ŋ/ also peace-making N‑UNCOUNT [usu N n] Peacemaking efforts are attempts to persuade countries or groups to stop fighting with each other. □ …the failure of international peacemaking efforts. □ The Church's real mission is to promote reconciliation and take a lead in peace-making.
peace|nik /piː sn I k/ (peaceniks ) N‑COUNT If you describe someone as a peacenik , you mean that they are strongly opposed to war. [INFORMAL ]
pea ce of|fer|ing (peace offerings ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] You can use peace offering to refer to something that you give someone to show that you want to end the quarrel between you. □ 'A peace offering,' Roberts said as he handed the box of cigars to Cohen.
pea ce pro|cess (peace processes ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] A peace process consists of all the meetings, agreements, and negotiations in which people such as politicians are involved when they are trying to arrange peace between countries or groups that are fighting with each other.
peace|time /piː sta I m/ also peace-time N‑UNCOUNT [oft in N ] Peacetime is a period of time during which a country is not at war. □ The British could afford to reduce defence spending in peacetime without excessive risk.
peach /piː tʃ/ (peaches )
1 N‑COUNT [oft N n] A peach is a soft, round, slightly furry fruit with sweet yellow flesh and pinky-orange skin. Peaches grow in warm countries.
2 COLOUR Something that is peach is pale pinky-orange in colour. □ …a peach silk blouse.
pea ches and crea m ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you say that a woman or a girl has a peaches and cream complexion , you mean that she has very clear, smooth, pale skin. [APPROVAL ]
peachy /piː tʃi/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe something as peachy , you mean that it tastes or smells like a peach or is similar in colour to a peach. □ …a rich, peachy flavour. □ …peachy pink.
2 ADJ If you say that something is peachy or peachy keen , you mean that it is very nice. [AM , INFORMAL ] □ Everything in her life is just peachy.
pea|cock /piː kɒk/ (peacocks ) N‑COUNT A peacock is a large bird. The male has a very large tail covered with blue and green spots, which it can spread out like a fan. □ …peacocks strutting slowly across the garden. □ …peacock feathers.
pea |cock blue COLOUR Something that is peacock blue is a deep, bright, greeny-blue in colour.
peak ◆◇◇ /piː k/ (peaks , peaking , peaked )
1 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The peak of a process or an activity is the point at which it is at its strongest, most successful, or most fully developed. □ [+ of ] The party's membership has fallen from a peak of fifty-thousand after the Second World War. □ [+ of ] The bomb went off in a concrete dustbin at the peak of the morning rush hour. □ …a flourishing career that was at its peak at the time of his death.
2 VERB When something peaks , it reaches its highest value or its highest level. □ [V + at ] Temperatures have peaked at over thirty degrees Celsius. □ [V ] His career peaked during the 1970s.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] The peak level or value of something is its highest level or value. □ Calls cost 36p (cheap rate) and 48p (peak rate) per minute.
4 ADJ [ADJ n] Peak times are the times when there is most demand for something or most use of something. □ It's always crowded at peak times.
5 → see also peak time
6 N‑COUNT A peak is a mountain or the top of a mountain. □ …the snow-covered peaks.