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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of horse trade
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, 6 Jan. 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
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
Verb
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, 6 Jan. 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
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
-
Hunter has set himself a very fine amount of emotional and physical space within which to work, and there’s pleasure in watching Metcalf and Stock negotiate the tiptoeing way Sarah and Ethan grow closer.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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The houses, often apartments inside the city’s tall residential buildings, strike so much fear among residents that anyone willing to live there can negotiate hefty discounts in one of the world’s most expensive property markets.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The league has no salary cap, and heading into negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement ahead of a 2026 deadline it is expected that owners will take a firm position against the players’ union in trying to secure one.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Trump recently halted Canadian trade negotiations after an ad funded by the province of Ontario featured a 1987 anti-tariff speech by former President Ronald Reagan.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Even one addition at the deadline is typically unlikely for an NFL team, though the Patriots have dealt away two players in Keion White and Kyle Dugger.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Lobbying expenditures from firms linked to the Chinese PLA have intensified as deliberations in Congress have progressed surrounding the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual piece of legislation designed to fund America’s military and deal broadly with national security matters.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Amid rising crime and racial tensions, the former police captain promised there need be no compromise between safety and justice.—
Molly Ball,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
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And while the Walkman and Discman allowed for on-the-go privacy, even their most ardent defenders would admit that these devices were clunky compromises.—
Jonathan Garrett,
The Atlantic,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
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Even human intelligence will follow, as visual reconnaissance teams view what is happening in other settlements or try to recruit sources who live and work there.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Legend has it that before the park was established, a young girl from a local settlement got lost in the woods in the area that later, when dammed, became Lake Fontana.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Five years ago, Olamide Olowe was a college student with $1,000 dollars, a deep understanding of chronic skin conditions, and a vision to make skincare more inclusive and accessible.—
Essence,
Essence,
28 Oct. 2025
-
And the United States has been increasingly one-sided in backing Taiwan, chipping away at previous understandings reached with Beijing on cross-strait issues.—
STEPHEN WERTHEIM,
Foreign Affairs,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Trump had cast doubt on attending in recent days — was reported by the Financial Times, which said the Kremlin had refused to make concessions over the war in Ukraine.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Some trade experts who spoke with ABC News indicated both sides had won notable concessions, though the ultimate impact may depend on whether the agreement can withstand mercurial US-China relations.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Horse trade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horse%20trade. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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