gentleman's agreement

noun

variants or gentlemen's agreement
: an agreement secured only by the honor of the participants

Examples of gentleman's agreement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web From the days of NFL quarterback segregation, to the gentlemen's agreement, to Kaepernick, and more. Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2023 Two sources had told the Free Press this week that Curry had committed to a gentlemen's agreement that if Fain were declared the winner, he could be sworn in prior to the convention. Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 25 Mar. 2023 Dortmund has a gentleman's agreement in place with the 21-year-old. Manuel Veth, Forbes, 13 May 2021 Is there a 'gentleman's agreement' between Kentucky and Auburn? Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, 26 Sep. 2020 That also ties into recent speculation that Chelsea have an gentleman's agreement not to pursue Napoli players. SI.com, 22 June 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gentleman's agreement.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gentleman's agreement was in 1880

Dictionary Entries Near gentleman's agreement

Cite this Entry

“Gentleman's agreement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gentleman%27s%20agreement. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

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