executive agreement

noun

: an agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government made by the executive branch either alone or with Congressional approval and dealing usually with a subject within the president's powers

Examples of executive agreement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The pivot began with the Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act of 1934, which let presidents adjust rates within limits via executive agreements. — Bedassa Tadesse, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025

The president has usurped the treaty power from the Senate by calling treaties executive agreements. — Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2025

Those executive agreements, as they are called, are still considered binding under international law. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 12 Feb. 2025

Instead, Trump could be expected to rely on executive agreements and bilateral deals to reshape America's global relations. — Axios, 16 Oct. 2024

Anticipating partisan opposition, presidents now usually avoid the congressional approval process altogether by entering into political commitments or executive agreements instead. — Rachel Myrick, Foreign Affairs, 14 June 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for executive agreement

• disagreement

Legal Definition

executive agreement

noun

: an agreement (as an armistice) between the U.S. and a foreign government that is made by the president and usually deals with a subject within the president's powers compare treaty

Note: An executive agreement does not carry the same weight as a treaty unless it is supported by a joint resolution. Unlike a treaty, an executive agreement can supersede a conflicting state law but not a federal law.