bargaining chip

noun

: something that can be used to gain an advantage when trying to make a deal or an agreement

The workers used the threat of a strike as a bargaining chip in their negotiations.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

President Biden has said Congress must raise the debt limit to avoid a catastrophic debt default, accusing Republicans of using the nation's wellbeing as a bargaining chip. —Harold Maass, The Week, 19 Apr. 2023

In the early American republic, amid the negotiations in Philadelphia, the capital was used—for the first of many times—as a political bargaining chip. —Matt Ford, The New Republic, 8 Mar. 2023

The people on the frontline are these librarians and teachers who are having an absolute nightmare, all in the name of a political bargaining chip. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2023

With demand for lithium set to increase with the proliferation of electric vehicles, especially in European countries with net-zero emissions goals, the discovery of these reserves could certainly give Iran an economic boost, as well as a possible bargaining chip. —Diego Lasarte, Quartz, 6 Mar. 2023

While Lucara’s operations are dwarfed by De Beers, Botswana is using its sales model as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the No. 1 diamond company. —Antony Sguazzin, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2023

At the time, many Republicans, including the Tea Party group, were pushing for major structural fiscal reforms and saw the debt limit as a bargaining chip. —Josh Wingrove, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2023

The feeling of being ‘wanted’ and marketable by another company, helps the employee level with their frustrations and potentially use interviews as a bargaining chip internally. —Nathan Peart, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023

Sharon Parrott President of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Using the debt ceiling as a bargaining chip to try to force unpopular cuts in areas like health care, assistance for struggling families, and education is reckless. —The New Republic, 16 Feb. 2023

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