keep one’s peace—
1. (also: hold one’s peace) refrain from arguing; remain silent:
- He told one lie after another, and it was only with the greatest effort that I was able to keep my peace.
2. (of a country) refrain from military action:
- Imperialism had a very small part in the history of Japan. Before that Japan kept its peace and hardly built any military power.
keep the peace—
1. preserve a peaceful state of affairs:
- In the American colonies, volunteer justices kept the peace before there were paid police.
2. = keep one’s peace 2:
- These costs of war are beyond calculation…. Most of this poverty could have been avoided had the country kept the peace.
3. prevent military conflicts:
- Britain had become the second largest contributor of troops, working alongside the Canadians. The two countries kept the peace in Cyprus during thirty years.