dicker

1 of 3

noun (1)

dick·​er ˈdi-kər 

: the number or quantity of 10 especially of hides or skins

dicker

2 of 3

verb

dickered; dickering ˈdi-k(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: bargain

dickered over the price

dicker

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

: barter

2

: an act or session of bargaining

Did you know?

The origins of the verb dicker likely lie in an older dicker, the noun referring to a quantity of ten animal hides or skins. The idea is that the verb arose from the bartering of, and haggling over, animal hides on the American frontier. The noun dicker comes from decuria, the Latin word for a bundle of ten hides, and ultimately from the Latin word decem, meaning "ten." The word entered Middle English as dyker and by the 14th century had evolved to dicker.

Synonyms

Verb

• bargain
• chaffer
• deal
• haggle
• horse-trade
• negotiate
• palter

Noun (2)

• back-and-forth
• barter
• commutation
• exchange
• quid pro quo
• swap
• trade
• trade-off
• truck

Examples of dicker in a Sentence

Verb

I tried to dicker for a discounted price.

they dickered over the price of the car for a few minutes

Noun (2)

was hoping to make a dicker with another collector of records from the 1950s

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

But nothing said at this point can be separated from the bluffing and haggling and dickering central to such high-dollar negotiations. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2024

Last year’s announcement was delayed nearly an hour while the Atlantic Coast Conference, bowl directors and television executives dickered — bickered? —Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Dec. 2023

Conrad's lawyer dickered for weeks with the owners of Baldwin House. —Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 24 Apr. 2023

The celebrity may dicker over the price, but ultimately reach an agreement. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2021

Numerous lawsuits have been filed, especially against Weinstein and his company, but remain mired in legal limbo as attorneys for plaintiffs and defendants dicker over damages. —Maria Puente, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English dyker, from Latin decuria quantity of ten, from decem ten — more at ten

Verb

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1797, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

dicker

verb

dick·​er

ˈdik-ər

dickered; dickering

ˈdik-(ə-)riŋ

: bargain entry 2, haggle

dicker noun

Legal Definition

dicker

intransitive verb

dick·​er

ˈdi-kər

dickered; dickering

: to seek to arrive at a workable and agreeable arrangement by negotiating and haggling