- agree */*/*/
- UK [əˈɡriː] / US [əˈɡrɪ]
verb [not usually progressive]
Word forms "agree":
present tense I/you/we/they agree he/she/it agrees present participle agreeing past tense agreed past participle agreedGet it right: agree:When you want to say that you approve of something or think it is the right thing to do, use the pattern "agree with something" (not "agree something"):
Wrong: Most Hong Kong women do not agree abortion.
Right: Most Hong Kong women do not agree with abortion.
Wrong: I do not agree this policy.
Right: I do not agree with this policy. You can also use the pattern agree with doing something:
Wrong: As a non-smoker, I agree banning smoking in restaurants.
Right: As a non-smoker, I agree with banning smoking in restaurants. Don't use the pattern "agree to something" when you want to express this meaning:
Wrong: I agree to this opinion to some extent.
Right: I agree with this opinion to some extent.
Wrong: I agree to construct a second railway link to the mainland.
Right: I agree with constructing a second railway link to the mainland. To agree to something or agree to do something means that you will do something that someone wants you to do: Both sides agreed to some modifications in the proposals. In the end I agreed to do the job.
Agree is rarely used with a direct object. In this use, it means "to decide something together" and it is mainly used when talking about official decision-making bodies and organizations. Yesterday management and unions agreed a pay deal. Ministers met to agree a strategy for tackling climate change.
Ways of expressing agreement:
That's right/You're right/I know → used when agreeing with someone Exactly/Absolutely/I couldn't agree more → used for saying that you completely agree with someone You can say that again/You're telling me → a more informal way of saying that you completely agree with someone Why not? → used when agreeing with a suggestion someone has made I suppose so/I guess so → used when you agree that someone is right, but you are not happy with the situation
Examples:
"It's supposed to be a very good school." "That's right. They get great results." ♦ "He's really boring, isn't he?" "Oh, I know, he never stops talking about himself." "When we were young, people didn't get into debt." "Exactly. You just bought what you could afford." ♦ "I think Jacob is the best person for the job." "Absolutely. I'll be amazed if he doesn't get it." ♦ "We had to wait three months to get a phone line – it's ridiculous." "I couldn't agree more." "It's so cold outside!" "You can say that again!" ♦ "The buses are so unreliable!" "You're telling me! I've been waiting here for half an hour." "Let's go to the cinema tonight." "Why not? We haven't been for ages." "We'll have to get some new tyres." "I suppose so/I guess so. But it will be expensive." ➡ disagree1) [intransitive/transitive] to have the same opinion as someone elseagree with:Doreen thought that the house was too small, and Jim agreed.
I agree with my mother about most things.
agree (that):I entirely agree with the comments you made about public transport.
it is agreed (that):We all agree that we should celebrate this event.
agree on/about:It is generally agreed that we should eat less fat and more vegetables.
The committee members all agree on the need for more information.
2)a) [intransitive] to say that you will do something that someone else wants or suggestsagree to do something:I asked her to marry me, and she agreed.
agree to:The school agreed to send the students on the course.
We have agreed to their request for a full investigation.
b) [intransitive/transitive] to decide together what will be done and how it will be doneagree on/upon:Yesterday management and unions agreed a pay deal.
We need to agree on a date for our next meeting.
3) [intransitive] if two pieces of information agree, they are the same or suggest the same thingagree with:The statements given by the two witnesses did not agree.
The observations agree with the predictions we made earlier.
•agree to differ/disagree
— to accept that someone else does not have the same opinion as you and agree not to argue about it any morePhrasal verbs:On that point, we'll have to agree to differ.
See:accept
English dictionary. 2014.