negotiate

verb ne·go·ti·ate \ ni-ˈgō-shē-ˌāt , nonstandard -sē- \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Examples: negotiate in a Sentence

Editor's Note: The Controversial History of negotiate

Definition of negotiate

negotiated; negotiating

intransitive verb

: to confer with another so as to arrive at the settlement of some matter

Teachers are negotiating for higher salaries.

transitive verb

1 a : to deal with (some matter or affair that requires ability for its successful handling) : manage

negotiated his business deals with remarkable skill

b : to arrange for or bring about through conference, discussion, and compromise

negotiate a treaty

2 a : to transfer (something, such as a bill of exchange) to another by delivery or endorsement (see endorse 1d)

b : to convert into cash or the equivalent value

negotiate a check

3 a : to successfully travel along or over

negotiate a turn

b : complete, accomplish

negotiate the trip in two hours

—

negotiator

play \ni-ˈgō-shē-ˌā-tər, nonstandard -sē-\ noun

—

negotiatory

play \ni-ˈgō-sh(ē-)ə-ˌtȯr-ē, nonstandard -sē-\ adjective

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Examples of negotiate in a Sentence

The customer wanted to negotiate over the price.
She has good negotiating skills.
We negotiated a fair price.
The driver carefully negotiated the winding road.

Recent Examples of negotiate from the Web

The deal was negotiated by CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers.

— mia galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, "The Orchard Picks Up Rosemarie DeWitt-Starrer 'Song of Back and Neck'," 13 July 2018
Or swing past Room 400 of the Milwaukee County Courthouse on just about any afternoon, where Berrada property managers negotiate in the hallway with tenants facing eviction.

— kevin crowe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'He'll evict you in a minute.' Landlord quietly becomes a force in Milwaukee rental business...and eviction court," 13 July 2018
On Friday July 6, Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain assembled her cabinet at Chequers, the country retreat, to thrash out negotiating positions for terms of leaving the European Union (EU).

— arthur i. cyr, Lake County News-Sun, "Cyr: Britain’s prime minister takes charge of cabinet," 13 July 2018
Immler, who has been on administrative leave, also will have to complete a class intended to prevent repeat thefts, under the plea requirements negotiated by defense attorney Michael Salnick and Assistant State Attorney Brian Fernandes.

— marc freeman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Cop to give up badge after swiping $6,250 during home search," 9 July 2018
The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted down a broad immigration bill negotiated by moderate and conservative Republicans, effectively killing chances for significant immigration legislation before the November midterm elections.

— sarah d. wire, latimes.com, "Republican-drafted immigration bill fails in the House as Congress prepares for holiday break," 27 June 2018
The de-escalation zone was negotiated by Russia, Washington, and Jordan and has maintained calm in the strategic area since.

— sarah el deeb, BostonGlobe.com, "Syria army widens offensive on rebel-held areas in southwest," 23 June 2018
The campaign-season tumult erupted as GOP leaders put finishing touches on a pair of Republican bills: a hard-right proposal and a middle-ground plan negotiated by the party's conservative and moderate wings, with White House input.

— CBS News, "White House says Trump supports "moderate" GOP immigration bill after confusion," 16 June 2018
The spending plan was negotiated by Democrats Gov. Jerry Brown, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins of San Diego, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon of Lakewood, Calif.

— jonathan j. cooper, The Christian Science Monitor, "California sees $9 billion surplus, passes budget to help poor," 15 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'negotiate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Controversial History of negotiate

For the first 250 years of its life, negotiate had meanings that hewed pretty closely to its Latin root, negotiari, meaning "to carry on business." Around the middle of the 19th century, though, it developed the meaning "to successfully travel along or over." Although this sense was criticized in the New York Sun in 1906 as a "barbarism creeping into the language," and Henry Fowler's 1926 A Dictionary of Modern English Usage declared that any writer who used it was "literally a barbarian," it has thrived and is now fully established.

Origin and Etymology of negotiate

borrowed from Latin negōtiātus, past participle of negōtiārī "to do business, trade, deal," derivative of negōtium "work, business, difficulty, annoyance," from nec "not" + ōtium "free time, leisure, tranquility," of obscure origin — more at ¹neglect

Note: The sense "to confer in order to arrive at a settlement" is probably based on Middle French negocier or Italian negoziare, which had developed this sense, not belonging to the Latin source, by the mid-16th century.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1598

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year