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Pact has "peace" at its root because a pact often ends a period of unfriendly relations. The word is generally used in the field of international relations, where diplomats may speak of an "arms pact", a "trade pact", or a "fishing-rights pact". But it may also be used for any solemn agreement or promise between two people; after all, whenever two parties shake hands on a deal, they're not about to go to war with each other.
Examples of pact in a Sentence
Arkansas Online, 7 Feb. 2026
The pact with Washington, Oregon and four Native American tribes had allowed for a pause in the litigation.
—Claire Rush, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
Trump insists any new nuclear pact must include China, whose arsenal grew from 200 warheads to over 600 since 2020, but Beijing refuses to participate.
—Vladimir Isachenkov, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Details of the pact New START, signed in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, restricted each side to no more than 1,550 nuclear warheads on no more than 700 missiles and bombers — deployed and ready for use.
—Vladimir Isachenkov, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Pact.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pact. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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pact
nounMiddle English pact "agreement," from early French pact (same meaning), from Latin pactum (same meaning), derived from pacisci "to agree, contract"
