Meaning & use
treaty
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablelaw
A formal written agreement between states or international organizations that creates legal obligations.
Grammar: Takes a plural treaties and is often followed by on, with, or between.
Patterns
- sign a treaty
- ratify a treaty
- a treaty between countries
- a treaty on something
The two countries signed a treaty to limit border tensions.
Parliament must ratify the treaty before it takes effect.
The treaty on trade sets common rules for customs inspections.
Word forms
| plural | treaties |
|---|
Common combinations
- sign a treaty
- The leaders signed a treaty after months of negotiation.
- ratify a treaty
- Several governments have yet to ratify the treaty.
- peace treaty
- The peace treaty ended years of armed conflict.
- treaty obligations
- Member states must meet their treaty obligations.
- under the treaty
- Under the treaty, nuclear testing is prohibited.
Synonyms and how they differ
- agreement
- The broad word; treaty specifically signals a formal agreement between states or organizations.
- accord
- Formal and often diplomatic, but it can sound less constitutionally binding than treaty.
- pact
- Usually shorter-term or more political; a treaty is typically written and legally structured.
- convention
- Often a multilateral treaty on a broad subject, such as human rights or the environment.
Commonly confused: treaty or treatise? treaty or contract?
treaty vs treatise
A treatise is a long formal written study; a treaty is an agreement between states.
treaty vs contract
A contract usually binds private people or companies; a treaty binds states or international bodies.
Practice
A treaty is best described as ___
Choose one answer.
The defining features are formality and states or international organizations as parties. A receipt and a short promise lack legal formality, and a novel is a work of fiction.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “treaty”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.