pact
Americannoun
-
an agreement, covenant, or compact.
We made a pact not to argue any more.
-
an agreement or treaty between two or more nations.
a pact between Germany and Italy.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pact
1400–50; late Middle English pact(e) < Middle French < Latin pactum, noun use of neuter of past participle of pacīscī to make a bargain, contract
Explanation
A pact is a treaty or other agreement between parties, and it's usually written. Countries can have pacts or you can make a pact with your friends, promising each other that you'll all show up for the spelling bee. A pact is a formal agreement. The 1955 Warsaw Pact, for instance, was Eastern Europe's answer to NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), with communist countries pledging mutual aid in case of foreign aggression. You may also come across the word compact, which is pretty much the same as a pact. The word pact comes from the Latin pactum, meaning "something agreed upon." In Roman times, one kind of pact was the marriage pact you signed when you got married.
Vocabulary lists containing pact
Inside Out & Back Again
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Prisoner B-3087
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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.
This now subjects the pact to annual reviews for a decade, and is likely, economists say, to keep uncertainty levels among businesses at historically elevated levels.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
Business groups across the continent had called for the pact to be extended.
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026
The free trade pact will instead be subject to annual reviews, unless a country decides to withdraw entirely.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
The eventual pact could look much different from the trilateral agreement that took effect in 2020, perhaps with separate addendums for Canada and Mexico, Shaw added.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
Our pact from the old days has been pounded into sand.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
