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Pact has "peace" at its root because a pact often ends a period of unfriendly relations. The word is generally used in the field of international relations, where diplomats may speak of an "arms pact", a "trade pact", or a "fishing-rights pact". But it may also be used for any solemn agreement or promise between two people; after all, whenever two parties shake hands on a deal, they're not about to go to war with each other.
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Examples of pact in a Sentence
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2024
In June, the two nations signed a landmark defense pact and pledged to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event the other is attacked.
—Niamh Kennedy, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024
In a rare trip to North Korea in June, Putin signed a diplomatic with defense pact with Kim, and Kim expressed his support for the invasion of Ukraine.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
Andrew Crowell and a friend have a pact: Whoever dies first, the other promises to burn their personal journals before their family or friends can read them.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pact.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Pact.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pact. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
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pact
nounMiddle English pact "agreement," from early French pact (same meaning), from Latin pactum (same meaning), derived from pacisci "to agree, contract"
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