bargain

1 of 2

noun

bar·​gain ˈbär-gən How to pronounce bargain (audio)
often attributive
1
: an agreement between parties settling what each gives or receives in a transaction between them or what course of action or policy each pursues in respect to the other
They struck a bargain to sell only to each other.
Keep your side of the bargain.
2
: something acquired by or as if by negotiating over the terms of a purchase, agreement, or contract
especially : an advantageous purchase
At that price the car is a bargain.
We got a bargain on the plane tickets.
3
: a transaction, situation, or event regarded in the light of its results
a bad bargain

bargain

2 of 2

verb

bargained; bargaining; bargains

intransitive verb

1
: to negotiate over the terms of a purchase, agreement, or contract : haggle
The seller might be willing to bargain over the price.
2
: to come to terms : agree

transitive verb

1
: to bring to a desired level by bargaining
bargain a price down
2
: to sell or dispose of by bargaining
often used with away
bargained away wage increases for other benefits
bargainer noun
Phrases
into the bargain or less commonly in the bargain
: besides
tastes good and is good for you, into the bargain
bargain for
: expect
more work than I bargained for

Examples of bargain in a Sentence

Noun I think everyone involved was satisfied with the bargain we made. They've agreed to turn the land over to the state, and the state, as its part of the bargain, has agreed to keep it undeveloped. She likes to hunt for bargains when she shops. Verb The price listed is quite high, but the seller might be willing to bargain. they bargained with the car salesman for half an hour before settling on a price
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But with a price in the mid to high $20,000 range, not a bargain. Scotty Reiss, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Short urged jurors to come back with the first-degree murder conviction, the same as Hill's plea bargain, arguing Rice acted on emotion. Ron Wood, arkansasonline.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Institutional investors are still very wary about buying Chinese stocks, even though many now look like a bargain. Diksha Madhok, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024 Defense lawyers in the case have been trying to prove that Willis entered into a corrupt bargain with Wade during their romantic relationship to place him on the prosecution team, pay him hundreds of thousands of dollars, so that the two of them could benefit financially. Daniel Klaidman, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2024 The third Monday in February is usually a good time to go bargain hunting for sales and discounts. Mike Snider, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Feb. 2024 The rural Hukou are not the citizens with whom the party has made its bargain of growing prosperity in exchange for tacit ... Thérèse Shaheen, National Review, 18 Feb. 2024 Davis calls it a bargain if Fashanu falls all the way to the Jaguars who could use an upgrade at left tackle. Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 So, some may view the Giants acquisition of Soler as a bargain. Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
Verb
That could be set to change—as part of the SEIU Local 560, the Dartmouth men’s basketball team would be eligible to collectively bargain with the university for things like wages and health benefits. Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 At the heart of this election was the issue of whether college athletes should be considered employees and therefore have to the right under federal labor law to form unions and collectively bargain over pay and benefits. Andrea Hsu, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 Fast forward to 2019, when firefighters and police successfully reinstated their right to bargain. Binghui Huang, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 The workers have participated in two strikes: A month-long stoppage in February 2023 over Cognizant’s return-to-office policy, which led to the departure of about 20 percent of the team, and a one-day pause in September over Google and Cognizant’s refusal to bargain. Danielle Abril, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024 Act 10 also narrowed the scope of what unions could bargain for, limiting it to basic pay. Daniel Rivero, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024 Hawks and doves disagreed but also bargained, creating deals that survived from administration to administration. Elizabeth N. Saunders, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 The Biden administration is also bargaining with drug companies to make 10 widely prescribed drugs cheaper for older Americans. USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024 But then, when Ford couldn’t come to an agreement on the terms of its contract with the union — companies with unions are mandated by law to bargain over things like pay and benefits — Ford’s workers went on strike, starting things at one of the automaker’s crucial truck plants. Melvin Backman, Quartz, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bargain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from bargaigner

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French bargaigner, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old English borgian to borrow — more at bury

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bargain was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near bargain

Cite this Entry

“Bargain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bargain. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bargain

1 of 2 noun
bar·​gain ˈbär-gən How to pronounce bargain (audio)
1
: an agreement between parties settling what each is to give or receive in a business deal
2
: something bought or offered for sale at a desirable price

bargain

2 of 2 verb
: to talk over the terms of a purchase or agreement
bargainer noun

Legal Definition

bargain

1 of 2 noun
bar·​gain
often attributive
1
: an agreement between parties that settles what each gives or receives (as a promise or performance) in a transaction between them compare contract
2
a
: something acquired by or as if by bargaining
b
: something whose value considerably exceeds its cost
a bargain purchase

bargain

2 of 2 intransitive verb
1
a
: to negotiate over the terms of an agreement (as a contract)
b
: to engage in collective bargaining
the employer must bargain with the union
2
: to agree to certain terms or conditions : come to terms
plaintiff bargained with the store for a lower price

transitive verb

: to convey according to a bargain
does hereby grant, bargain, sell, alien and confirm to the party of the second part, the following described property
often used with sell in deeds to indicate that the conveyor is receiving consideration in exchange for the property
Etymology

Noun

Old French bargaigne negotiation, haggling, from bargaignier to haggle

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