social contract

noun

: an actual or hypothetical agreement among the members of an organized society or between a community and its ruler that defines and limits the rights and duties of each

Examples of social contract in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For decades, work was governed by an unspoken social contract. Nirit Cohen, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024 Particularly when people are frequenting the same establishments regularly, tipping becomes a bit of a social contract between employees and customers, with good service and friendliness being rewarded. Joe Moglia, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024 Our social contract offers many, many avenues to remedy these issues and allows sides to be heard and adjudicated. William Earl, Variety, 8 Oct. 2024 This new internet architecture, often referred to as web3, represents a new social contract. David Pakman, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for social contract 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'social contract.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of social contract was in 1660

Dictionary Entries Near social contract

Cite this Entry

“Social contract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20contract. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Legal Definition

social contract

noun
so·​cial contract
: an actual or hypothetical agreement among individuals forming an organized society or between the community and the ruler that defines and limits the rights and duties of each

More from Merriam-Webster on social contract

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!