plural treaties
1
a
: an agreement or arrangement made by negotiation:
(1)
: a contract in writing between two or more political authorities (such as states or sovereigns) formally signed by representatives duly authorized and usually ratified by the lawmaking authority of the state
(2)
b
: a document in which such a contract is set down
2
: the action of treating and especially of negotiating
Examples of treaty in a Sentence
a nuclear test ban treaty
in accordance with a treaty between the United States and the tribes of the Pacific Northwest, commercial fishing of certain kinds of salmon is limited to Native Americans
Recent Examples on the Web
During the Removal Act, our tribe signed a treaty and the Prairie Band group ended up dispersing into a few different groups.
—
J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
That deal would come in the form of an executive order rather than a treaty requiring congressional approval, mirroring the guarantee recently extended to Qatar following Israel’s strike on a Hamas compound in Doha in September.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Their guerrilla tactics were effective, and in 1533 the Spanish signed a treaty with their chief leader, Enriquillo, that ended hostilities in exchange for land and freedom.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Colombia disputes this, contending that Santa Rosa did not exist when the treaty was signed and therefore cannot be claimed under its terms.
—Isa Cardona, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for treaty
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J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
That deal would come in the form of an executive order rather than a treaty requiring congressional approval, mirroring the guarantee recently extended to Qatar following Israel’s strike on a Hamas compound in Doha in September.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Their guerrilla tactics were effective, and in 1533 the Spanish signed a treaty with their chief leader, Enriquillo, that ended hostilities in exchange for land and freedom.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Colombia disputes this, contending that Santa Rosa did not exist when the treaty was signed and therefore cannot be claimed under its terms.
—Isa Cardona, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for treaty
Cite this Entry
“Treaty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/treaty. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
treaty
noun
trea·ty
ˈtrēt-ē 
plural treaties
: an agreement or arrangement made by negotiation
especially
: one between two or more states or rulers
Legal Definition
treaty
noun
trea·ty
plural treaties
1
: the action of treating and especially of negotiating
2
: an agreement or arrangement made by negotiation: as
a
b
: a contract in writing between two or more political authorities (as states or sovereigns) formally signed by representatives duly authorized and usually ratified by the lawmaking authority of the state
the President…shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties—U.S. Constitution art. II
compare executive agreement
U.S. Constitution art. II3
: a document embodying a negotiated agreement or contract
4
: an agreement or contract (as between companies) providing for treaty reinsurance
Etymology
Anglo-French treté, from Middle French traité, from Medieval Latin tractatus, from Latin, handling, treatment, from tractare to treat, handle
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