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

See Examples For:

executive agreement

The bill first got executive agreement in December 2024, but Long needs approval from executive parties for all of its draft contents before it can be introduced to the assembly.

From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2025

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

Even a sole executive agreement often requires subsequent funding from Congress in order to be carried out, and funding calls for majority support from the House and Senate.

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

It is altogether apparent in view of developments like these that the executive agreement power, especially when it is supported by Congressional legislation, today overlaps the treaty-making power.

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