treaty

noun

trea·​ty ˈtrē-tē How to pronounce treaty (audio)
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
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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
On Monday, the Knesset passed two bills; one barring UNRWA from activity within Israel, and another banning Israeli authorities from any contact with UNRWA – revoking the 1967 treaty that allows UNRWA to provide services to Palestinian refugees in areas under Israel’s control. Nadeen Ebrahim and Salma Arafa, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024 Climate activists have made efforts to amend the ECHR to include the protection as a human right under the treaty. Jon McGowan, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 In August, Biden administration announced its support for a version of the treaty that limits plastic production, and, though Harris hasn’t made any public comment about it, experts expect that her administration would support it as well. Vox Staff, Vox, 24 Oct. 2024 Under the new co-production treaty, qualifying projects will be eligible for grants from both countries. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for treaty 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English trete, from Anglo-French treté, from past participle of treter to discuss, treat

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of treaty was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near treaty

Cite this Entry

“Treaty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/treaty. Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

treaty

noun
trea·​ty ˈtrēt-ē How to pronounce treaty (audio)
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
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 treatiesU.S. Constitution art. II
compare executive agreement
3
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on treaty

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!