BARGAINING Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

bargaining 1 of 2

noun

as in negotiation

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bargaining

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bargain

as in negotiating

to talk over or dispute the terms of a purchase they bargained with the car salesman for half an hour before settling on a price

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as in agreeing

to come to an arrangement as to a course of action I really hadn't bargained on buying a whole case of Girl Scout cookies, just a couple of boxes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in arranging

to bring about through discussion and compromise bargained the price of the painting down to a figure that the artist could still live with

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bargaining

Noun

Washington may believe that time and economic pressure are improving its bargaining position; Tehran may increasingly believe that the same process is closing its window for action. — Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 29 Aug. 2026 Those hundreds of hours of bargaining spread across months of back-and-forth negotiations eventually yielded a memorandum of understanding that was signed by the presidents of both countries in mid-June. — Justin Fishel, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 Its most recent bargaining contract, covering some 700 workers, expired in 2022, and union leadership and company have been unable to reach an agreement on a new contract since then. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 Over the course of 23 bargaining sessions, the union and district representatives have negotiated on class size, wages and Special Education resources, among 57 total proposals. — Zachary Fletcher, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 However, the threat of taking California to the Supreme Court may be enough to bring the state’s AG Rob Bonta back to the bargaining table. — Jack Dunn, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026 And neither side is inclined to move much this early in bargaining. — Evan Drellich, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 The announcement, which came during a contract bargaining session in July, led to frustrations within the company’s editorial union, which says the Times is violating its own editorial standards around AI use. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 23 Aug. 2026 During the offseason, the league and the WNBA Players Association reached a landmark collective-bargaining agreement resulting in a 400 percent increase, on average, in player salaries. — Jemele Hill, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2026

Verb

The California Gig Workers Union hopes to begin bargaining by the end of the year, CalMatters reported. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026 Alongside promotions and deadlines, many young women are also privately bargaining with time and their bodies. — Anna Russell, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2026 This comes several days after Stanford football players created a campus chapter of the College Football Players Association, with the goal of collectively bargaining with the ACC. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 2 Aug. 2026 No deployment date has been set for Hyundai’s Korean plants at all, so the union is bargaining pre-emptively, trying to lock in protections before the humanoid robots show up rather than after. — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 The restaurant’s cliff divers, magicians, puppeteers and roving performers have been bargaining with management for more than a year, after officially voting to unionize in November 2024. — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 9 July 2026 The ruling also reflected Sotomayor’s reasoning that owners and players were still bargaining in good faith and that salary policies were mandatory subjects of bargaining. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 6 July 2026 If an employer chooses to grant recognition, no election takes place, and the parties begin bargaining a contract that sets standards for wages, working conditions and benefits. — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026 The curbing of telework comes as a blow to SEIU Local 1000, the only state worker union bargaining a new contract with the Newsom administration this year. — William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bargaining

Noun

Iceland is headed toward rejecting a referendum that would have restarted negotiations to join the European Union more than a decade after previous talks died, the national broadcaster reported Sunday.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
The report, however, notes that Uthmeier was in a position of authority over the aides leading the negotiations.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of negotiation

Verb

Furthermore, relationships themselves teach basic psychological capacities such as regulating emotions, tolerating disappointment, and negotiating differences—skills which therapy is supposed to cultivate.

— David H. Rosmarin, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
Iran and Oman are negotiating a deal to temporarily open the strait.

— Greg Myre, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of negotiating

Verb

Steve Nickson, the long-serving head of recruitment, handed in his notice in mid-June, subsequently agreeing to join Championship side Wrexham.

— George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
However, that portion remains dependent on future orders and the companies agreeing on commercial terms.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of agreeing

Verb

Paltrow is also friendly with OpenAI’s vice president of global creative partnerships, Charles Porch, who the Times reports was central to arranging the dinner in his boss’ honor.

— Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
Are practical barriers, such as transportation or arranging for care outside the facility, influencing the decision not to consider screening more than her own values or medical condition?

— Kim Johnson, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of arranging

Verb

Even at the top of the roster, hanging on to Trey Hendrickson rather than dealing him in March.

— Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
The impact of yesterday’s sharp drop in South Korean equities transmitted further into US markets overnight, spreading selling sentiment and dealing heavy blows to US semiconductor and memory stocks.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of dealing

Noun

After some spirited haggling at a public hearing, Star City Council members on July 7 approved a development plan for a commercial center on the northeast corner of Highway 44 between North Moyle Avenue and Plummer Road.

— Noah Daly July 15, Idaho Statesman, 15 July 2026
No negotiating, no haggling, no surprises.

— Rancho Santa Fe Review, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026

Definition of haggling

Noun

Ito En held the leading share of Japan’s green tea beverage market in 2025 and accounts for about 25% of crude tea transaction volumes in the country, according to the company.

— Jenny Lee, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
The sale, which won’t be finalized until the first quarter of 2027, is the richest transaction in Major League Baseball history.

— Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026