trade agreement

noun

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of trade agreement

1 : an international agreement on conditions of trade in goods and services

2 : an agreement resulting from collective bargaining

Recent Examples of trade agreement from the Web

Competitors such as New Zealand and Chile don't have tariffs because of free-trade agreements and pay a smaller 27 percent tax rate, making them more attractive to Chinese importers.

— NBC News, "China-U.S. trade skirmish leaves a bitter taste for California winemakers," 6 Apr. 2018
There will not be an immediate bonanza of free-trade agreements with other countries....

— monitor editors, The Christian Science Monitor, "Expect more of the same during President Putin’s next term, Pompeo appointment signals a more extreme US foreign policy, ‘Brexit’ is a colossal waste, Saudi Arabia flags a nuclear arms race, Aung San Suu Kyi stays silent on the Rohingya genocide," 31 Mar. 2018
The Trump Administration is celebrating its revised trade agreement with South Korea, and the news is how little the deal will change.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "Trump’s Managed Trade," 29 Mar. 2018
Meanwhile, a top trade negotiator for South Korea said Monday that the nation has agreed to further open its auto market to the United States as the two countries prepare to amend their six-year-old trade agreement.

— Time, "Stock Market Surges on News That U.S. and China Hope to Avert a Trade War," 26 Mar. 2018
Cohn was a solid and respected adviser, but then Trump does not really want advice as much as someone who parrots his own isolationist and paranoid philosophies toward all prior trade agreements.

— roger showley, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Trump's new economist: Good choice?," 23 Mar. 2018
Sometimes, government can do damage: high tariffs, bad trade agreements, regulatory retaliation.

— dave helling, kansascity, "Should KC-area Harley-Davidson workers be mad at Donald Trump? | The Kansas City Star," 13 Mar. 2018
That drastic measure would violate international trade agreements, so authorities instead issued new rules on how to make the lobsters’ demise as painless as possible.

— helena bachmann, USA TODAY, "Switzerland makes it illegal to boil a lobster," 16 Feb. 2018
The Colombian industry has bloomed thanks to a U.S. effort to disrupt cocaine trafficking, the expansion of free-trade agreements — and the relentless demand by American consumers for cheap roses.

— damian paletta, The Seattle Times, "Thank Colombia for the roses you get or give on Valentine’s Day," 11 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trade agreement.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.