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Business English vocabulary · Negotiations

Gentleman's agreement

Meaning in business english, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In business english, gentleman's agreement means: An informal agreement based on mutual trust rather than a formal written contract.

In Turkish: centilmenlik anlaşması, söze dayalı anlaşma

How it is used

A traditional expression that is not limited to men. It describes reliance on trust; do not assume the label settles whether an arrangement has legal consequences.

Example sentences

  1. The two shop owners had a gentleman's agreement to share delivery space without drawing up a formal document.

    Their arrangement rests on mutual understanding rather than a detailed written allocation.

  2. We replaced the gentleman's agreement with a written schedule after repeated confusion about access times.

    Writing down the times resolves practical ambiguity in the earlier informal understanding.

Common collocations

  • reach a gentleman's agreement
  • rely on a gentleman's agreement
  • contractA formal written agreement between two or more parties that sets out what each side must do and can be enforced by law.
  • dealAn agreement between two or more sides, especially a business arrangement to buy, sell or work together on agreed terms.

More terms: Negotiations

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