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

Reining in that authority, however, would likely require the court’s member states to amend the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Seoul and Pyongyang remain technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Work on a treaty to address plastic pollution began in 2022 with a two-year timeline.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that U.S. and Chinese officials have been quietly discussing China’s possible violations of the nuclear test-ban treaty.

From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026

This was in the early days, shortly after the treaty between the Aesir and the Vanir, when the gods were still making a home for themselves and Asgard was undefended.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

In 2014 and 2020, U.S. and Russian diplomats met to discuss possible treaties.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

"So the international community needs to understand the power we are bringing into the world, and that must be managed, must be governed through institutions, treaties, and democratic safeguards."

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

Third, the U.S. should attempt to negotiate limits on AI risks with China, analogous to the nuclear arms-control treaties of the Cold War era.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

International tax treaties might block or reduce the amount owed to the IRS for income taxes and payroll taxes.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

The Aesir and the Vanir are gods, united by peace treaties, and many Vanir gods live in Asgard, with the Aesir.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman