Executive Agreement Definition & Meaning

Definition

Etymology

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Examples

executive agreement American

noun

U.S. Government.

1. an agreement, usually pertaining to administrative matters and less formal than an international treaty, made between chiefs of state without senatorial approval.

Etymology

Origin of executive agreement

First recorded in 1940–45

Compare meaning

How does executive-agreement compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• executive agreement vs. treaty

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Plenty of international agreements are concluded in forms other than treaties," said Josh Chafetz, a professor at Georgetown Law, but "I'm sceptical that something of this magnitude could be concluded as a pure executive agreement."

From BBC

The bill first got executive agreement in December 2024, but Long needs approval from executive parties for all of its draft contents before it can be introduced to the assembly.

From BBC

It is understood that the first and deputy first ministers also wrote to Long last month, saying that any "additional provisions" would require executive agreement in the "normal way", via a paper to the executive with formal recommendations.

From BBC

However, these will "require executive agreement on significant policy issues", they added.

From BBC

“It’s a framework because the administration wanted to have something it could do by executive agreement,” said Robert Holleyman, a former deputy U.S. trade representative.

From Seattle Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.