Did you know?
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
Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 23 Dec. 2025
Gamefam did not disclose the financial terms of its licensing pact with FIFA that led to the rebranding.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 22 Dec. 2025
The original pact was negotiated at a time when the Colorado River had more water, and there was far less population in the Western States.
—Alan Gionet, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
Japan can promote South Korean leaders’ efforts to join various minilateral and multilateral platforms, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the free-trade pact that emerged from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and, in the long term, the G-7.
—Ayumi Teraoka, Foreign Affairs, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pact
Cite this Entry
“Pact.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pact. Accessed 29 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pact
nounMiddle English pact "agreement," from early French pact (same meaning), from Latin pactum (same meaning), derived from pacisci "to agree, contract"
Share