pact

American  

[pakt] / pækt /

noun

• pacts
  plural

1. an agreement, covenant, or compact.

   We made a pact not to argue any more.

2. an agreement or treaty between two or more nations.

   a pact between Germany and Italy.

---

pact British  

/ pækt /

noun

1. an agreement or compact between two or more parties, nations, etc, for mutual advantage

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pacts
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pact pacts

“How is it managed from this point forward?” she said of the pact.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

But local politicians and parties to the settlement say scrapping the Biden-era pact would require years of federal review and public engagement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Pakistan's foreign ministry said Friday the pact meant an attack on any member would be regarded as an attack on all, adding it was "intended to strengthen collective deterrence".

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

The pact with Turkey and Pakistan may be complementary in that regard, but the Saudis have yet to demonstrate the ability to lead a regional order.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Taciturn, silent, insensible to the new breath of vitality that was shaking the house, Colonel Aureliano Buendía could understand only that the secret of a good old age is simply an honorable pact with solitude.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Open-skies agreements deregulated airline competition on international routes starting in the 1990s, leading to much cheaper airfares and more international flights from the U.S., said Clifford Winston, a Brookings Institution economist who studied the pacts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 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 these little small pacts start to snowball.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

The new pacts also reflect the league’s desire to create more stand-alone games and reduce the number of matchups scheduled for Sunday afternoons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 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

Related Words

• arrangement
• compact
• contract
• convention
• covenant
• deal
• protocol
• settlement
• transaction
• understanding