Synonyms of bargaining

bargaining 1 of 2

noun

as in negotiation

Related Words

• negotiation
• bargain
• haggling
• transaction
• dealing
• dickering
• deal
• horse trading
• replacement
• substitution
• reciprocation
• logrolling
• horse trade
• exchange
• recompense
• barter
• swap
• truck
• commutation
• back-and-forth
• trade
• trade-off
• quid pro quo
• requital
• dicker

bargaining

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bargain

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

• negotiating
• dealing
• haggling
• dickering
• bickering
• arguing
• clashing
• horse-trading
• wheeling and dealing
• chaffering
• fighting
• paltering
• quarreling
• wrangling
• squabbling
• cutting a deal
• buying
• bartering
• exchanging
• trading
• quibbling
• hassling
• purchasing
• shopping (around)
• peddling
• hawking
• comparison shopping

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

• agreeing
• covenanting
• contracting
• arranging
• coming to terms
• striking a bargain
• underwriting
• coming around
• coming round
• subscribing
• settling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• differing
• disagreeing
• dissenting
• arguing
• revoking
• canceling
• contesting
• objecting
• disputing
• reneging

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

• negotiating
• arranging
• concluding
• discussing
• concerting
• haggling
• dealing
• dickering
• settling (on or upon)
• reasoning
• horse-trading
• debating
• chaffering
• renegotiating
• agreeing
• talking
• arguing
• paltering
• contracting
• covenanting
• talking over
• hammering out
• hashing (over)
• working out

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bargaining

Noun

Writers, actors, and crew will have fewer employers to work for, which means less bargaining power & lower wages. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026

In recent years, lawmakers have gained greater control over the federal budget, a key tool of political bargaining. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

With O’Leary now out of step with his two biggest members, Cinema United’s smaller exhibitors worry about how the internal fracture might jeopardize their future bargaining power, should the pact knock out another major supplier. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 11 Aug. 2026

Employees have grown increasingly frustrated with the bargaining process over the past year. — Haley Parsley august 11, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026

The two sides have already clashed over basic questions, like which staff should be included in the bargaining unit, a person familiar with the situation said. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026

The league’s current collective-bargaining agreement—the bylaws that set guidelines for payroll, player movement, and the on-field rules—is set to expire just before midnight on December 1st. — Diego Lasarte, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026

Not a very inclusive bargaining agreement for a league that prides itself on it. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026

The discomfort isn’t necessarily the hard bargaining or the retailer’s profit per se. — Esmt Berlin, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Verb

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

While bargaining with fantasy and forgiveness, the song lyrics shed light on the cost of having to ask, hope or wait for something that will never come. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026

Hollywood’s actors and writers unions, after winning AI protections in bargaining with studios, remain concerned about the potential misuse of the tech. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 May 2026