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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

With greater bargaining power after acquisitions, hospital systems can negotiate higher commercial prices for health care services, which can in turn raise premiums. — Casey B. Mulligan, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026 There are currently 486 unresolved issues when combining all 10 bargaining groups — one for each bargaining unit and a master that applies to each unit — and nearly 248 tentative agreements. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026 The Whitney Museum union, meanwhile, remains at the bargaining table, with a strike date looming on October 5—three days before member previews begin for the museum’s major Roy Lichtenstein retrospective. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026 In addition to firefighters and sheriff’s deputies, the new system would apply to bargaining units for district attorney investigators, deputy medical examiners and county lifeguards. — Jon Regardie, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026 Ironically, Draper’s piece shows a note of hope in its final pages in recounting how a bipartisan housing bill passed both chambers after much back and forth bargaining and compromises. — Don Wolfensberger, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026 On the other side of the issue, some House Republicans favor explicitly declaring that student athletes are not school employees, limiting their bargaining capacity. — New York Times, 29 Sep. 2026 By addressing many of the issues that could otherwise be subjects of collective bargaining, the legislation would significantly narrow what athletes and their potential unions could seek at the bargaining table. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026 Wong specializes in the MLB collective-bargaining agreement, player contracts and keeping the White Sox compliant with league rules. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026

Verb

Yet one or more of the P5 could inject new names at the last minute, once again leaving the decision to behind-the-scenes bargaining among a few powerful states. — Ian Johnstone, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bargaining

Noun

The European Commission has set an October deadline for progress in the negotiations, as France and Germany push for harsher measures.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
The recent agreements bring a tense chapter of labor negotiations to a close.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of negotiation

Verb

Passman additionally teamed with Salomon to represent Zac Brown in connection with his Sphere residency and 2026 tour, with Salomon also negotiating Brown’s new publishing agreement with Sony.

— Claudia Rosenbaum, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
In the statement, Skydance said savings would come primarily from combining technology and other operations, such as negotiating deals with suppliers and reducing overlapping marketing expenses as well as consolidating real estate.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of negotiating

Verb

Each worker signed a document seen by The Associated Press agreeing not to disparage Caddell and not to disclose the individual payments.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
That courtship continued over the next year, with Spielberg finally agreeing to this new hands-on role after reading Fuchs’ latest script.

— Justin Kroll, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of agreeing

Verb

Newsom was arranging a tour of Southern states later in the summer, specifically to get his face in front of South Carolinians.

— Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026
When clients or surrogates travel to California for important medical milestones, Tang and Sonnenberg are often there themselves—arranging schedules, accompanying appointments, and ensuring that days defined by medicine retain a sense of humanity.

— Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of arranging

Noun

But buyers balked at the price tag, and it was eventually auctioned off over the summer to PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel for the relative bargain of $130 million.

— Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Even major battlefield setbacks may not push the group towards compromise if its leadership believes any concessions should be part of a broader regional bargain.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of bargain

Verb

But when a traumatic encounter sends Tonya spiraling back into addiction—and back into the dangerous orbit of her drug-dealing ex-husband, Ronny (Alexander)—her fragile progress begins to unravel.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026
The latest homeless count showed an increase in the number of people living on the street, dealing a setback to a mayor who staked her reputation on the issue.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 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

If Kagan let the appeal proceed, the Supreme Court would have had to block the $111 billion transaction while considering the petition.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2026
Further information on the international leadership team is not yet available, as the transaction is set to close on Tuesday and operational fallout will continue well into the months ahead.

— Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026