plural treaties
1
a
: an agreement or arrangement made by negotiation:
(1)
: a contract in writing between two or more political authorities (such as states or sovereigns) formally signed by representatives duly authorized and usually ratified by the lawmaking authority of the state
(2)
b
: a document in which such a contract is set down
2
: the action of treating and especially of negotiating
Examples of treaty in a Sentence
a nuclear test ban treaty
in accordance with a treaty between the United States and the tribes of the Pacific Northwest, commercial fishing of certain kinds of salmon is limited to Native Americans
Recent Examples on the Web
Over this period, Washington and Moscow have been engaging in serious efforts to limit and reduce their arsenals of nuclear weapons, sometimes through treaties and sometimes through unilateral initiatives conducted in parallel.
—
Rose Gottemoeller, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2025
Trump threatened earlier this year to levy additional tariffs against Mexico after the country missed the deadline to send over water to the U.S. from the Rio Grande River, stipulated by a 1944 treaty.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 15 Apr. 2025
The study authors suggest their findings could be helpful to the United Nations’ Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international treaty to protect humans and the environment from the negative effects of the metal.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025
Tribal leaders and health officials told the Associated Press that cuts to the Healthy Tribes program are another violation of the federal government’s legal obligation, or trust responsibility, to tribal nations under treaties, law and other acts.
—Devna Bose, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for treaty
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Rose Gottemoeller, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2025
Trump threatened earlier this year to levy additional tariffs against Mexico after the country missed the deadline to send over water to the U.S. from the Rio Grande River, stipulated by a 1944 treaty.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 15 Apr. 2025
The study authors suggest their findings could be helpful to the United Nations’ Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international treaty to protect humans and the environment from the negative effects of the metal.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025
Tribal leaders and health officials told the Associated Press that cuts to the Healthy Tribes program are another violation of the federal government’s legal obligation, or trust responsibility, to tribal nations under treaties, law and other acts.
—Devna Bose, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for treaty
Cite this Entry
“Treaty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/treaty. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
treaty
noun
trea·ty
ˈtrēt-ē 
plural treaties
: an agreement or arrangement made by negotiation
especially
: one between two or more states or rulers
Legal Definition
treaty
noun
trea·ty
plural treaties
1
: the action of treating and especially of negotiating
2
: an agreement or arrangement made by negotiation: as
a
b
: a contract in writing between two or more political authorities (as states or sovereigns) formally signed by representatives duly authorized and usually ratified by the lawmaking authority of the state
the President…shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties—U.S. Constitution art. II
compare executive agreement
U.S. Constitution art. II3
: a document embodying a negotiated agreement or contract
4
: an agreement or contract (as between companies) providing for treaty reinsurance
Etymology
Anglo-French treté, from Middle French traité, from Medieval Latin tractatus, from Latin, handling, treatment, from tractare to treat, handle
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