haggle

1 of 2

verb

hag·​gle ˈha-gəl 

haggled; haggling ˈha-g(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to cut roughly or clumsily : hack

2

archaic : to annoy or exhaust with wrangling

intransitive verb

: bargain, wrangle

haggling over the price

haggler

ˈha-g(ə-)lər 

noun

haggle

2 of 2

noun

: an act of negotiating or arguing over the terms of a purchase, agreement, or contract : an instance of haggling or bargaining

a haggle over price

Synonyms

Verb

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

Examples of haggle in a Sentence

Verb

She is good at haggling.

had to haggle to get his friend to sell his guitar for 20 bucks

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Disney is buying out Comcast’s stake and made a hefty initial $8.6 billion base payment as the two sides haggle over valuation and what, if any, is still due. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2024

Experts share their best etiquette tips for estate sales—including whether haggling is appropriate, and the rules for claiming items, standing in line, and arriving early. —Shivani Vyas, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Oct. 2024

The two sides would haggle over how much LA28 reimburses the city for its additional services. —David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2024

The team’s majority owners, the Spanos family, have been haggling for a period of time over the team’s financial direction. —Jay Paris, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

frequentative of hag to hew

First Known Use

Verb

1589, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1829, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

haggle

verb

hag·​gle

ˈhag-əl

haggled; haggling

-(ə-)liŋ

: to dispute or argue especially in bargaining

haggle noun

haggler

-(ə-)lər

noun