# bury the hatchet

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/bury-the-hatchet
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To cease fighting or arguing; to reach an agreement, or at least a truce.

## Examples

- It is time to bury the hatchet and be friends again.
- They bury the hatchet so they can work together on the new project.
- You should bury the hatchet before the holiday dinner starts tonight.
- After years of arguing about the property line, the neighbors finally decided to bury the hatchet.
- My sister and I finally buried the hatchet after we both realized that our old argument was not worth losing our relationship over.
- The two companies decided to bury the hatchet and sign a deal instead of spending more money on expensive legal battles in court.
- Despite their long history of political disagreement, the two leaders chose to bury the hatchet for the sake of the country's future.

## Origin

The phrase is an allusion to the figurative or literal practice of putting away the tomahawk at the cessation of hostilities among or by Native Americans in the Eastern United States, specifically during the formation of the Iroquois Confederacy, and in Iroquois custom in general. Weapons were to be buried or otherwise cached in time of peace.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.