treaty

American  

[tree-tee] / ˈtri ti /

noun

treaties plural

1. a formal agreement between two or more states in reference to peace, alliance, commerce, or other international relations.

2. the formal document embodying such an international agreement.

3. any agreement or compact.

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treaty British  

/ ˈtriːtɪ /

noun

1. 1. a formal agreement or contract between two or more states, such as an alliance or trade arrangement

   2. the document in which such a contract is written

2. any international agreement

3. any pact or agreement

4. an agreement between two parties concerning the purchase of property at a price privately agreed between them

5. archaic negotiation towards an agreement

6. 1. any of the formal agreements between Indian bands and the federal government by which the Indians surrender their land rights in return for various forms of aid

   2. ( as modifier )

      treaty Indians

      treaty money

7. an obsolete word for entreaty

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nontreaty
  noun
• treatyless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• treaties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of treaty

1350–1400; Middle English trete < Anglo-French < Latin tractātus tractate

Compare meaning

How does treaty compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• executive agreement vs. treaty
• armistice vs. treaty

Explanation

When a war ends, often two countries will sign a treaty, which is a contract where both sides agree to behave a certain way. Treaties are used for many reasons, like creating alliances or preventing nuclear weapons from being built. The Latin root of treaty is tractare, which means “handle.” When two nations sign a treaty, they decide to handle things according to rules defined in their agreement. However, treaties are not always permanent, and can be broken if one side changes their mind. When white Europeans were settling in the United States, they made many treaties with Native Americans, and every single treaty was eventually broken, some even less than a day later.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

treaty treaties

There is no extradition treaty between Ireland and Jordan.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

This is the bedrock of the alliance treaty, signed in 1949.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

The treaty gives Turkey the right to bar the passage of warships in any conflict in which it isn’t a belligerent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

North Korea remains technically at war with the South because the neighbours' 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

After we spoke, Billy Frank, the son, told me I should visit Medicine Creek, where the Nisqually and eight other tribes had negotiated the treaty.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

But he’s bootstrapped himself into intelligence and with savvy networking and know-how, he becomes indispensable to the British, volunteering as a major to survey land and negotiate treaties with the Native tribes and French army.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

They still retain the right to receive Social Security benefits while living abroad under the vast majority of the existing tax treaties.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

All three major nuclear powers have just … Well, China never joined any arms control treaties.

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

Switzerland could jeopardise its treaties with the EU, and possibly lose goodwill from Brussels along with them, Pult warns.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

He’d searched old journals and bundled correspondences, spies’ reports, maps and treaties, trade ledgers and the minutes of royal secretaries, and anything else he could dig up.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor