1
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
Relevance
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
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Recent Examples of bargaining
William Melhado, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2025
As Philadelphia systematically destroyed Kansas City on Sunday, Eagles fans were no doubt too … ebullient to pay much attention to the ads, while Chiefs supporters no doubt spent the commercial breaks bargaining with God or dousing themselves with Arthur Bryant‘s Barbecue Sauce for luck.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2025
The union’s local chapter at Palmetto General, which represents 650 nurses at the hospital, will be bargaining for new contracts this year with Healthcare Systems of America, or HSA.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
This week’s East and Gulf Coast dockworker strike was the first in decades in those regions, but the union isn’t new to bargaining over technology.
—Jenn Brice, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
Noun
For some bargaining units, like the California Association of State Attorneys and Administrative Law Judges, the change came less than a month after the union started bargaining a new contract with the state.
—William Melhado, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2025
As Philadelphia systematically destroyed Kansas City on Sunday, Eagles fans were no doubt too … ebullient to pay much attention to the ads, while Chiefs supporters no doubt spent the commercial breaks bargaining with God or dousing themselves with Arthur Bryant‘s Barbecue Sauce for luck.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2025
The union’s local chapter at Palmetto General, which represents 650 nurses at the hospital, will be bargaining for new contracts this year with Healthcare Systems of America, or HSA.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
This week’s East and Gulf Coast dockworker strike was the first in decades in those regions, but the union isn’t new to bargaining over technology.
—Jenn Brice, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bargaining
Verb
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The two players have been negotiating deals with Cincinnati to keep them with the organization for years to come.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
15 Mar. 2025
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The company and the union began negotiating their first contract about a year ago, following management voluntarily recognizing the union in fall 2023.—
Katie Kilkenny,
The Hollywood Reporter,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Part of Washington’s post-Allen plan came into shape Monday by agreeing to terms with defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.—
Ben Standig,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
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The vest was later sold in a charity auction, with the winning bid reaching $17,300 and Day agreeing to match that amount with a donation of his own.—
Brooks Peck,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In the book, Stewart shares advice on topics such as growing produce and arranging flowers.—
Claire Murashima,
NPR,
18 Mar. 2025
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Before the repeal, Soto was arranging for free Spanish-language weddings in Little Havana and building up support for Dade County to retire its English-only policy.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The foot-dragging led Parker and Stone to flex their power, including by threatening legal action against Shell and RedBird Capital over allegedly manipulating negotiations with rivals to lower the price for Paramount.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Aug. 2025
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Thomas Posey of Posey Associates helps leaders build high-performance partnerships through strategic negotiation and scenario work.—
Thomas Posey,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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What Analysts Are Saying About Amazon’s Stock Is Amazon stock – which has lost 2.4% of its value so far in 2025 – trading at a bargain price?—
Peter Cohan,
Forbes.com,
3 Aug. 2025
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The star defensive tackle had two-years left on his deal that was one of the best bargains across the league.—
C. Isaiah Smalls,
Miami Herald,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
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When users want to send cryptocurrency, the wallet software uses the private key to digitally sign a transaction message.—
Boaz Sobrado,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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Where has a busy NBA offseason of transactions left the Heat in the Eastern Conference hierarchy?—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Foreign governments are watching closely to see how Trump reacts to Putin, likely gauging what the interaction might mean for their own dealings with the U.S. president, who has eschewed traditional diplomacy for his own transactional approach to relationships.—
Michelle L. Price,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Aug. 2025
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Personal wheeling and dealing is outside the bounds of anticorruption regulation.—
MICHAEL JOHNSTON,
Foreign Affairs,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bargaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bargaining. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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