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horse trading 1 of 3

noun (1)

as in bargaining

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horse-trading

2 of 3

noun (2)

as in negotiation

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horse-trading

3 of 3

verb

present participle of horse-trade
as in negotiating
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

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 horse trading
Noun
Now an obvious fix passed by Congress last year is at risk of unraveling because of partisan horse trading. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 6 June 2026 As the day wears on, look for horse trading, threats and some old-fashioned political tricks as lawmakers try to push their bills across before the end of business Friday. — AJC.com, 6 Mar. 2026 In discussing these choices, both of which will ding your credit record, try to do a little horse trading. — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 4 Dec. 2025 Both sides have priorities, and there is horse trading and eventually compromise, at least on some issues. — Tom Kertscher, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
But legal experts said the agreement reflects what was likely weeks, if not months, of careful backroom horse-trading. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 Those bills are often the result of last-minute negotiations among lawmakers and horse-trading for budget votes. — Ray Stern, AZCentral.com, 11 June 2026 There was also an unseemly whiff of insider partisan horse-trading here—two Democrats for two Republicans—in a razor-close chamber. — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2026 This arrangement, the result of historical horse-trading for Haredi political backing, was unpopular in peacetime. — Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026 The series of votes also came after top Democrats and the White House engaged in their latest horse-trading. — Al Weaver, The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026 But turnout has been persistently low, months of horse-trading to form a government are likely to follow, and voters are weary of high levels of corruption. — Natasha Bracken, semafor.com, 13 Nov. 2025 This horse-trading process lacks any moral code or transparency. — Paul Vallas, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horse trading
  1. bargaining
  2. negotiation
  3. negotiating
  4. horse trade
  5. auction
  6. dealing
  7. transaction
  8. haggling
Noun
  • Union officials responded that same day to start the bargaining process.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • More than 80% of Division I schools are public institutions, and their athletes would be state employees, outside the reach of federal labor law and, in many states, barred from bargaining at all.
    — Lamell J. McMorris, Sportico.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of bargaining
Noun
  • Although the game aired on NBC, agents, executives, and on-air talent from various networks routinely descend on the host city for meetings and negotiations.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • With more testy and volatile negotiations sure to come once Johnson presents his full budget proposal next month, the mayor’s $401 million pitch might not stick.
    — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of negotiation
Verb
  • The Reframe Employers have spent years negotiating the part of the health plan that is easiest to see.
    — Jennifer Schaefer, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Yes, a debt relief company may be able to help after a lawsuit has been filed — particularly in terms of negotiating a lower lump-sum settlement on the debt.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of negotiating
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
  • 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, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2023
Definition of horse trade
Noun
  • That card still holds the record for a sports card sale at public auction.
    — Benjamin Burrows, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Tickets were sold for $165 apiece, and an online auction also helped support fundraising efforts.
    — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of auction
Verb
  • The results are splendid when the duo is dealing, but when the line comes off the ice, the quality of play decreases.
    — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The grand jury’s findings that $10 million in Medicaid settlement money was diverted through nonprofits into political committees describe exactly the kind of self-dealing the Attorney General’s office is supposed to police, not participate in.
    — José Javier Rodríguez, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of dealing
Noun
  • When an agentic workflow can apply recognition logic, flag edge cases and reconcile transactions in real time, the question isn’t whether to automate the handoff.
    — Hemant Kapadia, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • But the underlying transactions, especially the possibility that money was transferred through illicit means, could invite a host of criminal-law ramifications, including fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of transaction
Verb
  • All that hoopla results in a heavy lift for news networks and involves haggling over the real estate for anchor booths and transmission facilities.
    — Daniel Strauss, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Former executive chairman Daniel Levy had a reputation for haggling over deals, sometimes allowing rival clubs to steal transfer targets from them.
    — Jay Harris, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of haggling

Browse Nearby Words

horse-trade (with)
horse trading
horse-trading
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Cite this Entry

“Horse trading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horse%20trading. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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