treaty

American  

[tree-tee] / ˈtri ti /

noun

plural

treaties

1. a formal agreement between two or more states in reference to peace, alliance, commerce, or other international relations.

2. the formal document embodying such an international agreement.

3. any agreement or compact.

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treaty British  

/ ˈtriːtɪ /

noun

1. 1. a formal agreement or contract between two or more states, such as an alliance or trade arrangement

   2. the document in which such a contract is written

2. any international agreement

3. any pact or agreement

4. an agreement between two parties concerning the purchase of property at a price privately agreed between them

5. archaic negotiation towards an agreement

6. 1. any of the formal agreements between Indian bands and the federal government by which the Indians surrender their land rights in return for various forms of aid

   2. ( as modifier )

      treaty Indians

      treaty money

7. an obsolete word for entreaty

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Other Word Forms

• nontreaty noun
• treatyless adjective

Etymology

Origin of treaty

1350–1400; Middle English trete < Anglo-French < Latin tractātus tractate

Compare meaning

How does treaty compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• executive agreement vs. treaty
• armistice vs. treaty

Example Sentences

NATO’s bedrock is Article V of its founding treaty, which considers an attack on one member state an attack on all.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Without international treaties monitoring these movements, the scale of the trade remains largely invisible to policy makers and the global community," he said.

From BBC

“What this does is it breaks the old system that was based on the non-proliferation treaty,” said Perkovich, who has worked on nuclear issues for 44 years.

From Los Angeles Times

These practices may seriously harm the trade interests of Chinese enterprises, and some of these measures may violating World Trade Organization rules and other economic and trade treaties, the ministry said in both statements.

From The Wall Street Journal

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has gifted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with a rifle as they signed a friendship treaty in Pyongyang, state media report.

From BBC