agreement

noun

agree·​ment ə-ˈgrē-mənt How to pronounce agreement (audio)
1
a
: harmony of opinion, action, or character : concord
There is widespread agreement on this issue.
b
: the act or fact of agreeing
She nodded her head in agreement.
2
a
: an arrangement as to a course of action
reached an agreement as to how to achieve their goal
b
: compact, treaty
a trade agreement
3
a
: a contract duly executed (see execute sense transitive 2) and legally binding
b
: the language or instrument (see instrument entry 1 sense 5) embodying such a contract

Example Sentences

Any changes to the plan require the agreement of everyone involved. There is wide agreement on this issue. They have been unable to reach agreement about how to achieve reform. I thought we had an agreement. Their agreement expires next year. He has to return the property under the terms of an agreement he has with the original owner. He signed an agreement to buy the property. See More
Recent Examples on the Web In 2016, Presley suddenly terminated her agreement with Provident. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2023 There is no parking within the hotel property but the company has an agreement in place to provide valet parking. Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2023 Disney has an agreement in place that could lead to Disney buying out Comcast’s stake by January. Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2023 Newsom has formally notified DGS that the state will not proceed with a planned renewal of its agreement with Walgreens, which was set to renew on May 1. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 9 Mar. 2023 That means the agency will either need to move the officer booths north, or negotiate an agreement with Mexico to be able to place the new U.S. scanning machines south of the border. Nick Miroff, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2023 Yormark said a key for the Big 12 was an early decision to extend its current media rights agreement with ESPN and Fox. Chuck Carlton, Dallas News, 8 Mar. 2023 The now-exes both signed the agreement on Aug. 9, 2017. Charmaine Patterson, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2023 On February 29, 2020, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joining as a witness at the ceremony, Khalilzad signed the agreement and set the course for a full American-troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Michael Ames, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2023 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English agrement, borrowed from Anglo-French agreement, agrément, from agreer "to please, consent, agree" + -ment -ment

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Time Traveler
The first known use of agreement was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near agreement

Cite this Entry

“Agreement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agreement. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

agreement

noun
agree·​ment ə-ˈgrē-mənt How to pronounce agreement (audio)
1
a
: the act of agreeing
b
: harmony of opinion, action, or character : concord
all are in agreement
2
a
: an arrangement or understanding (as a contract or treaty) about action to be taken
b
: a written record of such an agreement
3
: the fact of agreeing grammatically

Legal Definition

agreement

noun
agree·​ment
1
a
: the act or fact of agreeing
by mutual agreement
b
: unity of opinion, understanding, or intent
especially : the mutual assent of contracting parties to the same terms
if they reach agreement

Note: Under common law, agreement is a necessary element of a valid contract. Under Uniform Commercial Code section 1-201(3), agreement is the bargain of the contracting parties as represented explicitly by their language or implicitly by other circumstances (as a course of dealing).

2
a
: an expression (as a settlement, covenant, or contract) of the intent or willingness of two or more parties to bind at least one to terms usually determined by negotiation
an agreement must be sufficiently definite before a court can enforce itJ. D. Calamari and J. M. Perillo
b
: the language or instrument embodying such an expression

More from Merriam-Webster on agreement

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