reach an agreement — agree
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to successfully agree on something after discussing or negotiating, especially in a formal or important situation.
Say it like a native
Textbook The parties attained a mutually acceptable accord.
Native The two sides reached an agreement.
'Reach an agreement' is the standard collocation; 'attained a mutually acceptable accord' is diplomatic boilerplate.
Pattern: reach an agreement (with someone) (on/about something)
In use
- After several hours of discussion, the two companies finally reached an agreement.work
- In my opinion, it is important for governments to reach an agreement on climate change policies to protect the environment.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ After hours of talks, they made an agreement.
✓ After hours of talks, they reached an agreement.
We REACH an agreement (after a process). 'Make an agreement' is possible but 'reach' is far more natural here.
Common collocations
reach + agreement— an agreement, a deal, a compromise, consensus
Don't confuse it
Different from 'come to an agreement,' which is similar but less formal. Do not use 'do/make an agreement' in this context.