gentlemen's agreement
Americannoun
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an agreement that, although unenforceable at law, is binding as a matter of personal honor.
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an unwritten agreement by a socially prominent clique, private club, etc., to discriminate against or refuse to accept members of certain religious, racial, national, or other groups.
noun
Etymology
Origin of gentlemen's agreement
An Americanism dating back to 1885–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2022, Switzerland's federal criminal court in Bellinzona cleared the two after accepting their account of a "gentlemen's agreement" for the payment.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2025
They’re in a written gentlemen’s agreement, somewhere, that Punchbowl News devilishly described as the “secret three-page addendum.”
From Slate ● Jan. 9, 2023
Although the league’s territorial rights were little more than a gentlemen’s agreement — and despite Pottsville having received an official approval to play the game — the N.F.L. suspended the Maroons.
From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2022
“We made a gentlemen’s agreement that we’ll play and then we’ll figure it out,” Olivas said.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 30, 2021
The abrogation of the gentlemen's agreement; being the Harvard Phi Beta Kappa prize essay for 1936. © 2Oct36; A100237.
From U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1963 July - December by Library of Congress. Copyright Office
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