meeting of the minds

English

Alternative forms

• meeting of minds

Pronunciation

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Noun

meeting of the minds (plural meetings of the minds)

1. (idiomatic) An agreement, especially one resulting from a gathering in which discussion or negotiation took place.

   Synonyms: concord, understanding

   • 1994 January 10, Marguerite Michaels, “Borderline Breakthrough”, in Time:

     [E]xhausted negotiators pored over maps and drafts of a proposed agreement in smoke-filled Cairo hotel rooms, until the morning of the third day, when Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres proclaimed that the two sides had "reached a meeting of the minds."

   • 2011 October 10, John Dobosz, “Dancing On The Ceiling Of The Trading Range”, in Forbes, retrieved 10 December 2012:

     [T]he market seems to believe that the leaders have had a meeting of the minds and won’t fail when the time comes to act.

   • 2012 June 4, Martin Fackler, “Japan Leader Changes Cabinet in Push for Tax Bill”, in New York Times, retrieved 10 December 2012:

     Mr. Noda met with Mr. Ozawa twice but the talks failed to yield a meeting of the minds.

2. (law) Synonym of consensus ad idem (“agreement about the terms and subject matter of a contract between all involved parties”)

Usage notes

• Used especially to indicate an agreement which is less formal, more preliminary, or less detailed than a full-fledged contract, compact, or pact.

See also

• like-minded

 

References

• “meeting of the minds”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “meeting of the minds”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Further reading

• meeting of the minds on Wikipedia.Wikipedia