parley

1 of 2

verb

par·​ley ˈpär-lē 

parleyed; parleying

intransitive verb

: to speak with another : confer

specifically : to discuss terms with an enemy

The government refused to parley with the rebels.

parley

2 of 2

noun

plural parleys

1

a

: a conference for discussion of points in dispute

b

: a conference with an enemy

2

: discussion

Synonyms

Verb

• advise
• confab
• confabulate
• confer
• consult
• counsel
• treat

Noun

• colloquy
• conference
• council
• forum
• panel
• panel discussion
• round-robin
• roundtable
• seminar
• symposium

Examples of parley in a Sentence

Verb

in an effort to win the goodwill of the locals, the developers parleyed with them before finalizing plans for the massive mall

Noun

held a parley to debate the proposed change in the town's zoning laws

can we meet for an informal parley to see if we can effect a compromise?

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In May, delegates from the Dobson Noise Coalition parleyed with delegates from CyrusOne, including an acoustic consultant the company had hired. —Bianca Bosker, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2019

Generations of Indian bureaucrats had parleyed with them to try winning over Kashmiris, greasing the wheels with subsidies. —The Economist, 8 Aug. 2019

Noun

Melber, Wallace and O’Donnell would join later, while Wagner held forth from Philadelphia, the site of the actual parley. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024

Soon after the parley, Moscow launched strikes on Syria. —David F. Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2015

Word History

Etymology

Verb

derivative of parley entry 2

Noun

Middle English parlay "speech," borrowed from Anglo-French parlee, parly "speech, conversation, debate," probably noun derivative from feminine of parlé, past participle of parler "to speak, talk," going back to early Medieval Latin parabolāre, noun derivative of Late Latin parabola "comparison, allegory, proverb, discourse, speech" — more at parable

First Known Use

Verb

1576, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

parley

verb

par·​ley

ˈpär-lē

parleyed; parleying

: to speak with another : confer

especially : to discuss terms with an enemy

parley noun

Etymology

Verb

derived from early French parler "to speak" — related to parliament, parlor see Word History at parlor

Biographical Definition

Parley

biographical name

Peter see Samuel Griswold goodrich