pact

noun

ˈpakt 

: compact entry 4

especially : an international treaty

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.

Synonyms

• accord
• alliance
• compact
• convention
• covenant
• treaty

Examples of pact in a Sentence

We supported a peace pact between the two countries.

They made a pact to go to the gym together three times a week.

Recent Examples on the Web

The pact also comes soon after Perry expanded his deal with Netflix, adding TV series to the mix. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024

Heart of the Beast also falls under his first-look pact with Paramount. —Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024

However, the 18 pacts with Native nations in California were never ratified by the federal government. —Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024

For now, prospects for restoring or revising the pact remain gloomy, as even ardent supporters of the JCPOA acknowledge. —Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024

Countries continue to sign the pact, with Uruguay signing in February. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024

The pact, first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN, comes two days before the start of the 2024 season. —Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2024

The two nations have signed a pact on AI, becoming the first countries to formally work together to assess and test the risks from emerging AI models, the Financial Times reports. —John Kell, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024

Optimum in November of last year negotiated a promotional pact between the insurance giant and Clark. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin pactum, from neuter of pactus, past participle of pacisci to agree, contract; akin to Old English fōn to seize, Latin pax peace, pangere to fix, fasten, Greek pēgnynai

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pact

• nonaggression pact/treaty
• nonaggression treaty/pact
• suicide pact

Kids Definition

pact

noun

ˈpakt 

: agreement sense 2

especially : a treaty between countries

Etymology

Middle English pact "agreement," from early French pact (same meaning), from Latin pactum (same meaning), derived from pacisci "to agree, contract"