suicide pact

American  

[soo-uh-sahyd pakt] / ˈsu əˌsaɪd ˌpækt /

noun

1. an agreement between two or more people to intentionally end their own lives at the same time.

---

Etymology

Origin of suicide pact

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Police originally believed the deaths were the result of a suicide pact after they discovered their partners were having an extra-marital affair.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2025

Survivors have denied there was a suicide pact, saying military vehicles knocked over lanterns and ignited the blaze.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 24, 2023

The Constitution is not a suicide pact, Justice Robert H. Jackson wisely observed in a 1949 free-speech case.

From Washington Post • Jun. 10, 2022

Since the U.S. and the Soviet Union blundered into their nuclear suicide pact in the 1950s, it has come to be known as Mutual Assured Destruction, or MAD.

From Salon • Mar. 30, 2022

If you find it difficult to understand why four automakers would enter a commercial suicide pact and how such an effort might then violate antitrust law, you’re not alone.

From Slate