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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
There’s likely to be some horse-trading to get those votes over the next two weeks. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026 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 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
  • Trump has also allowed limited sales of Nvidia's H200 AI chips to China even as broader restrictions remain in place, making semiconductor access another bargaining point.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Stress-test scenarios for supplier concentration, co-invest in joint planning and innovation and keep at least one alternative source viable to preserve bargaining power.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of bargaining
Noun
  • On the last day of negotiations, the talks turned aggressive.
    — Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Representatives from the three countries held three rounds of trilateral negotiations early this year, twice in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, and once in Geneva, but the talks achieved no significant breakthroughs.
    — HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of negotiation
Verb
  • Blizzard insinuated that Paramount blackmailed California into negotiating a settlement by threatening to leave the state, a common talking point raised by Bonta.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Continuing to fight or pressure Iran economically is unlikely to yield a better outcome than negotiating.
    — RICHARD HAASS, Foreign Affairs, 23 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
  • Planning Minister Bruno Moretti said the auction will cover debts of up to 10,000 reais ($2,000).
    — Reuters, NBC news, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The price more than doubled during the feverish close of the auction presented by Fanatics Collect.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of auction
Verb
  • The inquest testimony about Lizzie’s attempt to purchase prussic acid was also excluded, dealing another major blow to the prosecution.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • One hundred years ago, one of the most destructive hurricanes in South Florida history roared ashore, devastating communities, killing hundreds and dealing an economic blow that some historians say took the region decades to fully overcome.
    — Hank Tester, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of dealing
Noun
  • One advisor simply moves more transactions through the same funnel.
    — Lital Marom, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The Justice Department and FCC have approved the transaction without asking for any concessions or remedies — an unusually hands-off approach for such a large horizontal merger.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 21 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 27 Sep. 2026.

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