The present disclosure relates to a 5th generation (5G) or pre-5G communication system for supporting a higher data rate in comparison to the 4G communication system, such as long term evolution (LTE). A method for a terminal to establish synchronization with another terminal in a network supporting device-to-device (D2D) communication is provided. The method includes scanning, at the terminal, for synchronization signals from at least one base station, acquiring, when a synchronization signal is received from a base station, synchronization with the base station based on the synchronization signal, measuring power of the synchronization signal received from the base station, and transmitting, when data to be transmitted are generated in idle mode and the received signal power is less than a received signal power, a synchronization signal as a synchronization relaying terminal.