executive agreement

American  

noun

U.S. Government.

1. an agreement, usually pertaining to administrative matters and less formal than an international treaty, made between chiefs of state without senatorial approval.

---

Etymology

Origin of executive agreement

First recorded in 1940–45

Compare meaning

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

• executive agreement vs. treaty

Example Sentences

Such an executive agreement would not be legally binding and would lack the reciprocal benefits of a full trade pact, according to Goodman.

From Washington Post • Jan. 27, 2023

Earlier this year, a senior departmental official said that executive agreement was needed to extend funding for the holiday food payments beyond Easter 2022.

From BBC • May 16, 2022

But for the most part, executive agreements signed by the president require no congressional action and are considered enforceable as long as the provisions of the executive agreement do not conflict with current domestic law.

From Textbooks • Jul. 28, 2021

The State Department also has to determine whether it must ask the Senate for its advice and consent or whether it can simply join Kigali as an executive agreement.

From Scientific American • Nov. 29, 2017

Belmont The Litvinov Agreement is also noteworthy for giving rise to two cases which afforded the Court the opportunity to evaluate the executive agreement in terms of Constitutional Law.

From The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation Annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 30, 1952 by Corwin, Edward Samuel