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
That same year, facing intimidation by land-hungry settlers, the Shawnee signed another treaty ceding most of their Kansas reservation to the government, leaving the area around the mission to the Methodist church.
—
Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Mar. 2025
Some politicians have floated establishing a post-independence defense treaty with Denmark, Canada, or even the United States, which already has a military base in the Arctic Circle in far northwest Greenland.
—Lauren Kent, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
On Thursday, Trump announced a one-month pause on all tariffs on Canadian and Mexican products that comply with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade treaty, known as the USMCA.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 10 Mar. 2025
This has infuriated Trump, who has vowed to restore the canal to American ownership, which was handed over in 1999 following a 1977 treaty.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for treaty
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Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Mar. 2025
Some politicians have floated establishing a post-independence defense treaty with Denmark, Canada, or even the United States, which already has a military base in the Arctic Circle in far northwest Greenland.
—Lauren Kent, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
On Thursday, Trump announced a one-month pause on all tariffs on Canadian and Mexican products that comply with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade treaty, known as the USMCA.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 10 Mar. 2025
This has infuriated Trump, who has vowed to restore the canal to American ownership, which was handed over in 1999 following a 1977 treaty.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for treaty
Articles Related to treaty
Cite this Entry
“Treaty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/treaty. Accessed 18 Mar. 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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