social contract

American  

[soh-shuhl kon-trakt] / ˈsoʊ ʃəl ˈkɒn trækt /

noun

1. the voluntary agreement among individuals by which, according to any of various theories, as of Hobbes, Locke, or Rousseau, organized society is brought into being and invested with the right to secure mutual protection and welfare or to regulate the relations among its members.

2. an agreement for mutual benefit between an individual or group and the government or community as a whole.

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social contract British  

noun

1. (in the theories of Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, and others) an agreement, entered into by individuals, that results in the formation of the state or of organized society, the prime motive being the desire for protection, which entails the surrender of some or all personal liberties

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Etymology

Origin of social contract

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

social contract

"This is a sort of China-after-Mao moment," Vaez says, "in the sense that the system as a whole recognises that something's got to give. This new leadership understands that it needs a new social contract."

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

The social contract tends to look favorably on big institutions like hospitals, which often have overworked staff working under extremely stressful conditions, reaching out for donations to help raise funds.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026

A spokeswoman said that OpenAI feels a responsibility to its users to “uphold our end of the social contract by keeping people safe, living up to our principles and delivering real value.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

It’s tempting to see these developments as a victory, as the rule of law slowly reasserting itself over a deadly aberration in America’s social contract.

From Slate ● Jan. 29, 2026

However, this “hydraulic theory” of state formation is subject to the same objections leveled against social contract theories in general.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond