as in negotiation
Related Words
Relevance
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
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
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
Greg Cote
february 1, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
Its bargaining team numbers 150 participants and the union posts online the offers and counteroffers from each side.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Gerard Corros, president of the Kaiser Orange County Professional Association, who’s overseeing the interests of 2,800 nurses and others at the bargaining table, plans to park his gas-guzzling pickup truck at home and drive his fuel-efficient Honda Accord instead.
—Pat Maio, Oc Register, 31 Jan. 2026
In an escalation of an ongoing turf war over low-wage school district employees, the Chicago Teachers Union has accused the Chicago Board of Education of conspiring with a rival union to undermine its bargaining unit.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Courts can be skeptical of contractual relationships where there is no opportunity for bargaining, especially when there is a sizable imbalance in power like with a famed college coach and student players.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Starbucks United workers brought the coffee giants to the bargaining table, the Amazon Labor Union officially joined forces with the Teamsters, and tens of thousands of graduate student workers unionized.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Just weeks before the start of a high-stakes bargaining cycle with the major Hollywood studios, the Writers Guild of America’s own staff is threatening to go on strike.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026
The union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing Kaiser of walking away from the bargaining table in December.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 26 Jan. 2026
City News Service, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026
The union said nurses are committed to bargaining daily to settle the dispute.
—Arkansas Online, 23 Jan. 2026
With continued support of mediators, nurses plan on bargaining daily to settle fair contracts that protect patient and nurse safety.
—Tim McNicholas, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
The announcement comes after resort ownership and its patrollers union, which have been bargaining since June, reached an impasse in negotiations.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 24 Dec. 2025
The nurses’ dispute comes as 100 non-RN healthcare professionals at the hospital also voted to join the union and are in the midst of bargaining their first contract.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 23 Dec. 2025
Allina and Doctors Council-SEIU have been bargaining a first contract since February of 2024.
—Imani Cruzen, Twin Cities, 5 Nov. 2025
That’s true so long as the two sides are bargaining in good faith.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 31 Oct. 2025
What were the musicians bargaining for?
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
The league and its players’ union will meet face to face in New York City on Monday for the first time since last fall when bargaining talks stalled.
—Greg Cote
february 1, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
Its bargaining team numbers 150 participants and the union posts online the offers and counteroffers from each side.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Gerard Corros, president of the Kaiser Orange County Professional Association, who’s overseeing the interests of 2,800 nurses and others at the bargaining table, plans to park his gas-guzzling pickup truck at home and drive his fuel-efficient Honda Accord instead.
—Pat Maio, Oc Register, 31 Jan. 2026
In an escalation of an ongoing turf war over low-wage school district employees, the Chicago Teachers Union has accused the Chicago Board of Education of conspiring with a rival union to undermine its bargaining unit.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Courts can be skeptical of contractual relationships where there is no opportunity for bargaining, especially when there is a sizable imbalance in power like with a famed college coach and student players.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Starbucks United workers brought the coffee giants to the bargaining table, the Amazon Labor Union officially joined forces with the Teamsters, and tens of thousands of graduate student workers unionized.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Just weeks before the start of a high-stakes bargaining cycle with the major Hollywood studios, the Writers Guild of America’s own staff is threatening to go on strike.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026
The union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing Kaiser of walking away from the bargaining table in December.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
The union had been bargaining with Kaiser since last May.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026
The union said nurses are committed to bargaining daily to settle the dispute.
—Arkansas Online, 23 Jan. 2026
With continued support of mediators, nurses plan on bargaining daily to settle fair contracts that protect patient and nurse safety.
—Tim McNicholas, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
The announcement comes after resort ownership and its patrollers union, which have been bargaining since June, reached an impasse in negotiations.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 24 Dec. 2025
The nurses’ dispute comes as 100 non-RN healthcare professionals at the hospital also voted to join the union and are in the midst of bargaining their first contract.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 23 Dec. 2025
Allina and Doctors Council-SEIU have been bargaining a first contract since February of 2024.
—Imani Cruzen, Twin Cities, 5 Nov. 2025
That’s true so long as the two sides are bargaining in good faith.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 31 Oct. 2025
What were the musicians bargaining for?
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bargaining
Noun
-
Graham, in particular, has been on a war path over the negotiations, accusing Republicans of not fighting hard enough to reclaim the narrative on immigration after the death of Alex Pretti last weekend.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Temporarily extending funding at current levels has also become commonplace to buy more time as negotiations for full-year measures continue.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Disregard global cooperation Warsh said that former Fed Chair Janet Yellen and Powell spent too much time negotiating with global regulators.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The most difficult part will be negotiating concessions that both sides can swallow in such a short period.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The appropriations bill for DHS was the only one that was not passed as is, with senators agreeing on a two-week stopgap funding the agency while negotiations about reform play out.—
Jenny Goldsberry,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Under his leadership, Harvard has made tangible progress with even the most strident critics agreeing Harvard is making great progress.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
At 99, Mel Brooks does not speak like a man arranging his legacy.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Decorating Your Flight While these compound butter ideas are mouthwatering on their own, arranging the tray is all part of the fun of a butter flight.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But in a zero-sum world, where more money spent on incarceration means less money available for California’s growing network of trauma recovery centers, that’s a bad bargain.—
Kathy Brown-Lowe,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Another reason is that sectors of the US economy continue to rest on an implicit bargain between the government, employers, and migrants.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But Getz ended that story once and for all late Tuesday, dealing Robert to the New York Mets for a middling prospect in Luisangel Acuña and a prayer in former 12th-round pick Truman Pauley.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Tamma’s mother is partnered with a drug-dealing layabout; Dan’s mother, a onetime successful novelist, has a worsening heart condition.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That language was ultimately stripped from the bill in end-of-session haggling.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That means nothing bars him from closing on the transaction as early as this week.—
Paul Edward Parker,
The Providence Journal,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The group acquired Lapo Elkann’s Italia Independent brand in 2023, in a transaction pegged at 1 million euros.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bargaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bargaining. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
