parley

verb

par·ley | \ ˈpär-lē

parleyed; parleying

Definition of parley

(Entry 1 of 3)

: to speak with another : confer specifically : to discuss terms with an enemy The government refused to parley with the rebels.

parley

noun

plural parleys

Definition of parley (Entry 2 of 3)

1a : a conference for discussion of points in dispute

b : a conference with an enemy

2 : discussion

Parley

biographical name

Definition of Parley (Entry 3 of 3)

Peter — see Samuel Griswold goodrich

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about parley

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Examples of parley in a Sentence

Verb

in an effort to win the goodwill of the locals, the developers parleyed with them before finalizing plans for the massive mall

Noun

held a parley to debate the proposed change in the town's zoning laws can we meet for an informal parley to see if we can effect a compromise?

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

North Korea is also threatening to scrap the Singapore parley unless denuclearization is taken off the agenda. — Nicholas Eberstadt, WSJ, "With Kim Jong Un, There’s No ‘Win-Win’," 23 May 2018 Three days before Christmas 1945, Marshall arrived at a small stone bungalow in Chongqing to begin a series of parleys aimed at ending 18 years of civil war. — James D. Hornfischer, WSJ, "‘The China Mission’ Review: The Man Who ‘Lost’ China," 3 May 2018 The adversaries conduct a formal parley, like buccaneers, declare mutual war and everyone has a fabulous time. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, "The Book Your Kids Should Read This Summer," 14 July 2017 His months of reporting in Mali allow him to reconstruct vivid scenes, such as that of a night parley between a Timbuktu militia and the rebel command on a rug set before a corral of 4x4 vehicles in which the only light came from cigarettes. — Tom Zoellner, New York Times, "How a Band of Conspirators Saved Timbuktu’s Treasured Manuscripts From Al Qaeda’s Torch," 2 June 2017 That's probably what Bezos was trying to tell us during that journalistic parley around the turn of the century. — Robert Reed, chicagotribune.com, "Did you hear? Amazon is a local, global game-changer," 16 May 2017

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

History and Etymology for parley

Verb

see parley entry 2

Noun

Middle English parlai speech, probably from Middle French parlee, from feminine of parlé, past participle of parler to speak, from Medieval Latin parabolare, from Late Latin parabola speech, parable — more at parable

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