negotiate

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

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

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

How any such peace deal would really be negotiated is still unclear, however.

— rick noack, chicagotribune.com, "What did Kim and Pompeo discuss during their meeting? Here are 3 core issues," 18 Apr. 2018
Her four-year contract, including salary and benefits, will be negotiated with board chair Edward J. Gilliss.

— baltimore sun staff, baltimoresun.com, "Who is Verletta White? What you should know about the next Baltimore County schools superintendent," 18 Apr. 2018
How any such peace deal would really be negotiated is still unclear, however.

— rick noack, Washington Post, "What did Kim and Pompeo discuss during their meeting? Here are 3 core issues.," 18 Apr. 2018
The deal was negotiated by UTA Independent Film Group on behalf of the filmmakers.

— mia galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, "Magnolia Pictures Picks Up Jason Mitchell Drama 'Tyrel'," 17 Apr. 2018
The agreement was negotiated as part of the state budget adopted in October.

— jenna carlesso, Courant Community, "Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin's Budget Will Face New Scrutiny From Oversight Board," 15 Apr. 2018
Lighthizer and Director Kudlow to take another look at whether or not a better deal could be negotiated.

— Bloomberg.com, "Trump Weighs Rejoining TPP, Tones Down China Trade Threat," 13 Apr. 2018
Details about the terms of Potter’s contract, including her salary and start date, will be negotiated and considered by the board for approval at a future meeting.

— david hernandez, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Ysidro school board picks Lemon Grove educator as new superintenent," 13 Apr. 2018
Database schema had to be negotiated with in-house administrators; their designs might work well for low-volume, internal use but not for real-time, high-load situations.

— ian bogost, The Atlantic, "The Dot-Coms Were Better Than Facebook," 13 Apr. 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