What does "agreement" mean?

1. (shared opinion) a situation where people have the same opinion or feeling about something. 2. (formal arrangement) a formal decision or promise between two or more people or groups. 3. (legal contract) a written document that is legally binding. 4. (grammar matching) a rule where words in a sentence must match in number, gender, or person.

How do you use "agreement"?

Often used with the preposition 'between' or 'with'.

Is it correct to say "There is a lack of agreement between the subject and the verbs."?

No — say "There is a lack of agreement between the subject and the verb.". In linguistics, 'agreement' usually refers to the relationship between a subject and a single verb form.

agreement

US //əˈɡɹimənt// UK //ɐɡɹˈiːmənt// agree·ment

1 shared opinion (n.)
B1 Intermediate

a situation where people have the same opinion or feeling about something.

the state of sharing a view, opinion, or purpose; a lack of contradiction between parties.

Example

The two managers reached an agreement on how to handle the new project.

Example

There was general agreement among the board members that the current strategy required significant revision before the next fiscal year.
- disagreement
- conflict
2 formal arrangement (n.)
B1 Intermediate

a formal decision or promise between two or more people or groups.

a negotiated arrangement or understanding between entities to follow a specific course of conduct.

Example

The neighbors made a verbal agreement to share the cost of the new fence.

Example

The ceasefire agreement was signed after weeks of intense diplomatic pressure from international mediators.

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3 legal contract (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Formal Law

a written document that is legally binding.

a legally enforceable contract or document that outlines specific obligations and rights.

Example

Make sure you read the rental agreement carefully before you sign it.

Example

The merger agreement contained several clauses designed to protect the interests of minority shareholders during the transition period.
4 grammar matching (n.)
C1 Advanced Technical Academic Science

a rule where words in a sentence must match in number, gender, or person.

the grammatical correspondence between words in a sentence, such as a verb matching its subject in number.

Example

In English, we must have agreement between the subject and the verb.

Example

The student struggled with gender agreement when learning Spanish, often forgetting to change the adjective endings to match the nouns.

Usage

Often used with the preposition 'between' or 'with'.

Teacher's tip

In EFL contexts, this usually refers to 'subject-verb agreement', which is a common area for learner errors.
- concord
Pitfall

There is a lack of agreement between the subject and the verbs.

There is a lack of agreement between the subject and the verb.

In linguistics, 'agreement' usually refers to the relationship between a subject and a single verb form.

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Old French a- Proto-Indo-European *gʷerH- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *gʷr̥Htós Proto-Italic *gʷrātos Latin grātus Latin grātumder. Old French gré Old French agreer Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom Proto-Italic *-məntom Latin -mentum Old French -ment Old French agrementbor. Middle English agrement English agreement From Middle English agrement, agreement, from Old French agrement, agreement. Doublet of agrément. Morphologically agree + -ment.

Word family

Nounagreement
Noundisagreement