social contract

noun

: an actual or hypothetical agreement among the members of an organized society or between a community and its ruler that defines and limits the rights and duties of each

Examples of social contract in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Not whether dynamic pricing works, but how much dynamic pricing consumers are willing to accept before the retail social contract begins to change. Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 May 2026 For decades, companies designed employee benefits around a relatively stable social contract. Nirit Cohen, Forbes.com, 13 May 2026 Countries like Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, and to a significant extent Saudi Arabia depend on oil exports to fund their governments, and their social contracts with citizens. Judah Taub, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026 What ultimately binds people to a city, or to a country, is a social contract that governs their lives. Mina Al-Oraibi, Time, 14 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for social contract

Word History

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of social contract was in 1660

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Cite this Entry

“Social contract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20contract. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.

Legal Definition

social contract

noun
so·​cial contract
: an actual or hypothetical agreement among individuals forming an organized society or between the community and the ruler that defines and limits the rights and duties of each

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