as in to negotiate
to talk over or dispute the terms of a purchase
I horse-traded with the painter: I did his tax returns, and he did my kitchen
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as in negotiation
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Recent Examples of horse-trade
Leo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 4 Oct. 2023
Congress, by contrast, can hold wide-ranging hearings, issue subpoenas, survey and even commission empirical research, weigh fiscal trade-offs, consider constituent popularity, balance different values and interests, horse trade, negotiate, and forge compromises.
—Ian MacDougall, Harper’s Magazine , 28 Sep. 2022
Justices horse trade and revise for months on major cases, though they’re not known for flipping sides.
—Dallas News, 3 May 2022
The blandishments McCarthy might have offered to horse trade his way to the speakership — fancy titles, perks, a fundraising appearance — meant little to those Republican holdouts who would like nothing more than to burn Washington to the ground.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2023
Krikorian, from the restrictionist Center for Immigration Studies, argued DACA recipients could have gotten green cards by now, if Democrats had been willing to horse trade for tougher enforcement.
—Dallas News, 18 July 2022
In the early 1960s, the bistate agency took over what was then the struggling Hudson and Manhattan Railroad as part of a horse trade between New Jersey and New York that committed the Port to build the first World Trade Center.
—Paul Berger, WSJ, 30 Nov. 2018
And Paul George finally escaped Indiana, albeit to a dark-horse trade partner in the Oklahoma City Thunder.
—Peter Dawson and Pdawson@star-Telegram.com, star-telegram, 13 Dec. 2017
Noun
The rising profile of McHenry and Emmer is likely bullish for crypto bills, as both work to convince Democrats on their committee—and their counterparts over in the Senate—to horse trade over stablecoin and market structure legislation.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 4 Oct. 2023
Congress, by contrast, can hold wide-ranging hearings, issue subpoenas, survey and even commission empirical research, weigh fiscal trade-offs, consider constituent popularity, balance different values and interests, horse trade, negotiate, and forge compromises.
—Ian MacDougall, Harper’s Magazine , 28 Sep. 2022
Justices horse trade and revise for months on major cases, though they’re not known for flipping sides.
—Dallas News, 3 May 2022
The blandishments McCarthy might have offered to horse trade his way to the speakership — fancy titles, perks, a fundraising appearance — meant little to those Republican holdouts who would like nothing more than to burn Washington to the ground.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2023
Krikorian, from the restrictionist Center for Immigration Studies, argued DACA recipients could have gotten green cards by now, if Democrats had been willing to horse trade for tougher enforcement.
—Dallas News, 18 July 2022
In the early 1960s, the bistate agency took over what was then the struggling Hudson and Manhattan Railroad as part of a horse trade between New Jersey and New York that committed the Port to build the first World Trade Center.
—Paul Berger, WSJ, 30 Nov. 2018
And Paul George finally escaped Indiana, albeit to a dark-horse trade partner in the Oklahoma City Thunder.
—Peter Dawson and Pdawson@star-Telegram.com, star-telegram, 13 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horse-trade
Verb
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The Englishman is represented by his mother Marcia Lewis, who negotiated the deal with Arsenal.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
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Authorities spent hours trying to negotiate a peaceful surrender, police said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Nippon Steel has completed its $14.2 billion takeover of U.S. Steel, the company announced Wednesday, capping a year and half of fraught negotiations and resulting in a landmark deal for a president who originally opposed the deal.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 June 2025
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In recent weeks, delegations from Iran and the U.S. have met for multiple rounds of nuclear negotiations, though talks have stalled amid the conflict between Israel and Iran.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Bourgault hasn’t come close to playing in the NHL and was dealt to Ottawa — along with Jake Chiasson — last summer for Roby Jarventie and a draft pick.—
The Athletic NHL Staff,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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Streaming: Xfinity deals for streaming services are a great value.—
Kara McGinley,
USA Today,
21 June 2025
Noun
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The compromise brings to an end San Diego’s most tumultuous budget season in at least a decade — just eight days before the new fiscal year begins July 1.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 June 2025
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But hunting groups say that the compromise to not hunt within 40 yards of public trails ensures safety for hikers.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
23 June 2025
Verb
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The sides had bargained on and off for more than a year by then, operating without a contract since November 2022.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
11 June 2025
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What’s next: Backed by the Service Employees International Union, Oakland Assemblymember Buffy Wicks introduced Assembly Bill 1340 that would allow ridesharing drivers to bargain for better pay and benefits and provide more protections for gig workers.—
Pat Maio,
Oc Register,
8 June 2025
Noun
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According to a 2024 analysis by the law firm Morgan Lewis, less than half of a percent of second requests were subject to settlement under the Biden administration, a sizable decrease from 1.04% during the first Trump administration and 1.42% during the second Obama administration.—
Ross Marchand,
Baltimore Sun,
23 June 2025
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So my feeling is that there was never any real attempt on the part of the U.S. to follow up on that and actually try to negotiate some kind of diplomatic settlement here.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
22 June 2025
Noun
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Scientific objectives include gaining an understanding of the Reiner Gamma swirl mini-magnetosphere region and its magnetic and plasma properties. TBD, 2025: Blue Origin New Glenn carrying Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1), a single-launch, lunar cargo lander that remains on the surface.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 June 2025
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Against this backdrop of inflated expectations and deflating results, a more nuanced understanding has emerged from those like LeCun, who've spent decades wrestling with the actual mechanics of intelligent systems.—
Gabriel Snyder,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Noun
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Among other concessions, San Diego agreed to place at least 70% of all future affordable housing projects in moderate-, high- and highest-resource neighborhoods rather than in lower-income areas.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 June 2025
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The concession comes as some in the party call for a new generation of leadership to take the reins of the party.—
Averi Harper,
ABC News,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Horse-trade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horse-trade. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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