bargain
Americannoun
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an advantageous purchase, especially one acquired at less than the usual cost.
The sale offered bargains galore.
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an agreement between parties settling what each shall give and take or perform and receive in a transaction.
- Synonyms:
- transaction, arrangement, stipulation
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such an agreement as affecting one of the parties.
a losing bargain.
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something acquired by bargaining.
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Informal. an agreeable person, especially one who causes no trouble or difficulty (usually used in negative constructions).
His boss is no bargain.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to arrange by bargain; negotiate.
to bargain a new wage increase.
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to anticipate as likely to occur; expect (usually followed by a clause).
I'll bargain that he's going to give those company directors plenty of trouble.
verb phrase
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bargain on to expect or anticipate; count or rely on.
You can't bargain on what she'll do in this situation.
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bargain for to anticipate or take into account.
The job turned out to be more than he had bargained for.
idioms
-
strike a bargain, to make a bargain; agree to terms.
They were unable to strike a bargain because the owner's asking price was more than the prospective buyer could afford.
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in / into the bargain, over and above what has been stipulated; moreover; besides.
The new housekeeper proved to be a fine cook in the bargain.
noun
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an agreement or contract establishing what each party will give, receive, or perform in a transaction between them
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something acquired or received in such an agreement
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something bought or offered at a low price
a bargain at an auction
-
( as modifier )
a bargain price
-
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in excess of what has been stipulated; besides
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to agree on terms
verb
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(intr) to negotiate the terms of an agreement, transaction, etc
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(tr) to exchange, as in a bargain
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to arrive at (an agreement or settlement)
Related Words
Other Word Forms
- bargainable adjective
- bargainer noun
- bargaining noun
- outbargain verb (used with object)
- prebargain verb (used with object)
- probargaining adjective
- unbargained adjective
Etymology
Origin of bargain
First recorded in 1300–50; (for the verb) Middle English bargaynen, from Anglo-French, Old French bargai(g)ner, probably from Frankish borganjan (unrecorded); cognate with Old High German bor(a)gēn “to look after” ( German borgen “to lend”); (for the noun) Middle English bargayn, from Anglo-French, Old French bargai(g)ne, bargain, derivative of the verb; borrow
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A Home Office spokesperson claimed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was "driving a hard bargain".
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
The point: Dollar General appears ready to generate sales and earnings that satisfy or surpass expectations, even if consumer spending were to slow under the premise that shoppers would become more bargain conscious.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
It produces 20 million barrels of oil daily, roughly what it consumes, while exporting liquified natural gas and being the world’s largest gas producer into the bargain.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026
At the end of January 2014, Google bought DeepMind for $650 million, a bargain by today’s standards.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
“And you shall have plenty more children when we are through, only take care not to bargain them away.”
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
