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Definition of "pacify" [pac•i•fy]

  • To ease the anger or agitation of. (verb-transitive)
  • To end war, fighting, or violence in; establish peace in. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "pacify" in a sentence
  • ""It is impossible for me," he writes to Nagni, the French nuncio, 2 April, 1629, "to put in jeopardy the common fatherhood and, in consequence, to be no longer able to heal and pacify, which is the proper business of the pope as vicar of Christ""
  • "In 112 BCE, the Han's southern campaign to "pacify" the Southern Yue subjugated the Southern and Western Barbarians, resulting in the establishment of Yuexi and Shenli commanderies. 21 In 109 BCE, the Han conquered the Laojin and Mimo peoples. 22 Under enormous military pressure, the king of Dian surrendered."
  • "Promoted to Headline (H2) on 9/27/09: Obama's LBJ Moment yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = 'Obama\'s LBJ Moment'; yahooBuzzArticleSummary = 'Article: As in Vietnam, the goal would seem to be to install a regime run by the United States and to "pacify" the country into accepting it."