pact
Americannoun
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pacts
plural
-
an agreement, covenant, or compact.
We made a pact not to argue any more.
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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.
See Examples For:
This week, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said his country was “bound” by the pact to defend Saudi Arabia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Some technology experts criticised the pact, pointing out that it allowed AI companies to regulate themselves.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Nanyang Technological University AI governance researcher Jose Miguelito Enriquez said the pact shows "emerging consensus" but does not address whether AI developers should be held accountable for incidents.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
This pact could be extended to friendly democracies including Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Nonetheless, he accompanied Bradford on a trip to southeast Cape Cod to negotiate another pact.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
China and other governments need to agree on a plan similar to nuclear arms-control pacts meant to avoid disaster.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
But the EU, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland received some relief in line with trade pacts they previously reached with the United States.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
But major partners like the EU, which earlier signed a trade deal with Washington, expect their pacts to hold.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
But these little small pacts start to snowball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
Cleopatra saw for herself the power plays, secret pacts, broken promises, bribes, and betrayals that marked her father’s rule.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
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.
