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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.
Examples of pact in a Sentence
Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile the Trump administration has effectively killed the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), a favorable trade pact, with the introduction of new tariffs on African exports.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Groups like Wait Until 8th and Smartphone Free Childhood encourage parents to sign pacts promising to delay giving kids devices until the end of the 8th grade, or even 16 years old.
—Rachel Hale, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025
Initial titles published through the pact include Last Breeds, AEON, The Dangerous History Saga, Existence Equation and Never a Never Boy.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pact.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pact. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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pact
nounMiddle English pact "agreement," from early French pact (same meaning), from Latin pactum (same meaning), derived from pacisci "to agree, contract"
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