as in to negotiate
to talk over or dispute the terms of a purchase
I horse-traded with the painter: I did his tax returns, and he did my kitchen
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in negotiation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of horse-trade
Leo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 4 Oct. 2023
Congress, by contrast, can hold wide-ranging hearings, issue subpoenas, survey and even commission empirical research, weigh fiscal trade-offs, consider constituent popularity, balance different values and interests, horse trade, negotiate, and forge compromises.
—Ian MacDougall, Harper’s Magazine , 28 Sep. 2022
Justices horse trade and revise for months on major cases, though they’re not known for flipping sides.
—Dallas News, 3 May 2022
The blandishments McCarthy might have offered to horse trade his way to the speakership — fancy titles, perks, a fundraising appearance — meant little to those Republican holdouts who would like nothing more than to burn Washington to the ground.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2023
Krikorian, from the restrictionist Center for Immigration Studies, argued DACA recipients could have gotten green cards by now, if Democrats had been willing to horse trade for tougher enforcement.
—Dallas News, 18 July 2022
In the early 1960s, the bistate agency took over what was then the struggling Hudson and Manhattan Railroad as part of a horse trade between New Jersey and New York that committed the Port to build the first World Trade Center.
—Paul Berger, WSJ, 30 Nov. 2018
And Paul George finally escaped Indiana, albeit to a dark-horse trade partner in the Oklahoma City Thunder.
—Peter Dawson and Pdawson@star-Telegram.com, star-telegram, 13 Dec. 2017
Noun
The rising profile of McHenry and Emmer is likely bullish for crypto bills, as both work to convince Democrats on their committee—and their counterparts over in the Senate—to horse trade over stablecoin and market structure legislation.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 4 Oct. 2023
Congress, by contrast, can hold wide-ranging hearings, issue subpoenas, survey and even commission empirical research, weigh fiscal trade-offs, consider constituent popularity, balance different values and interests, horse trade, negotiate, and forge compromises.
—Ian MacDougall, Harper’s Magazine , 28 Sep. 2022
Justices horse trade and revise for months on major cases, though they’re not known for flipping sides.
—Dallas News, 3 May 2022
The blandishments McCarthy might have offered to horse trade his way to the speakership — fancy titles, perks, a fundraising appearance — meant little to those Republican holdouts who would like nothing more than to burn Washington to the ground.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2023
Krikorian, from the restrictionist Center for Immigration Studies, argued DACA recipients could have gotten green cards by now, if Democrats had been willing to horse trade for tougher enforcement.
—Dallas News, 18 July 2022
In the early 1960s, the bistate agency took over what was then the struggling Hudson and Manhattan Railroad as part of a horse trade between New Jersey and New York that committed the Port to build the first World Trade Center.
—Paul Berger, WSJ, 30 Nov. 2018
And Paul George finally escaped Indiana, albeit to a dark-horse trade partner in the Oklahoma City Thunder.
—Peter Dawson and Pdawson@star-Telegram.com, star-telegram, 13 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horse-trade
Verb
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For starters, unlike Trump’s single-minded focus on China during his first-term trade war, Trump 2.0 is sparring with every country on the planet with the ostensible goal of negotiating freer and fairer trade deals, from our closest democratic allies to the Chinese Communist Party.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2025
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Here’s the thing, no employee should be left to negotiate basic dignity on their own.—
Aparna Rae,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
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These tactics are designed to lead the victim straight onto a negotiation footing where the attacker has the upper hand.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
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While negotiations remain fragile, both Washington and Tehran have signaled interest in continuing the diplomatic process.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
Verb
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After his release from jail, Fafara tried several jobs but eventually returned to dealing drugs.—
Meredith Wilshere,
People.com,
7 June 2025
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To comply with those rules, any provision needs to deal primarily with the federal budget and not government policy.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 June 2025
Noun
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The main architects of the compromise budget — council members Henry Foster, Sean Elo-Rivera, Joe LaCava and Kent Lee — said the last-minute changes will help prevent damage to low-income areas.—
Steven Mihailovich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 June 2025
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And though Molly’s humanism usually saves the day, this time Jake has a point: aiming for a compromise, Molly accidentally negotiates the rent up by two dollars.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Verb
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Medicine and equipment was stolen amid the fighting, so nurses have learned to bargain for it at nearby pharmacies.—
Sophie Neiman,
Christian Science Monitor,
5 May 2025
-
The two unions have joined together to bargain, with negotiations continuing over the past week on issues like holidays, alternative work weeks, time off, health insurance and retirement plans.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2025
Noun
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Payment Processing Systems: Facilitate fast, secure payment initiation, routing and settlement.—
Serge Beck,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Nobody is talking settlement right now, at least not before today.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
9 June 2025
Noun
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Additionally, capturing and analyzing vast amounts of data enables a better understanding of customer behavior at a granular level and provides invaluable information for making decisions about content and timing.—
Dane Matheson,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
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The actor slash producer took the position in January and spent the last six months getting a better understanding of the industry structures in place at TIFF, both to continue to deliver programs that are already considered successful and to be able to tweak whatever wasn’t fully working.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
13 June 2025
Noun
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What are the unknown risks, deal-breakers or concessions?—
Andrew Allen,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
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Major universities and law firms offered significant concessions to the administration this year to try to carve out breathing room.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Horse-trade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horse-trade. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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