bargain for
Britishverb
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Also, bargain over . Negotiate about something, usually a price. For example, In open-air markets it is standard practice to bargain for the best price . [Late 1300s]
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Also, bargain on . Expect, be prepared for, as in In planning the picnic, we hadn't bargained for bad weather , or I hadn't bargained on John's coming along . [c. 1800] For a synonym, see count on .
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.
The union said that has prompted it to bargain for stronger protections for its members against censorship or retaliation that may arise from research, scholarship and creative endeavors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
They didn’t even come to the table to try to bargain for some compromise.
From Slate ● Apr. 24, 2026
That implies it would be a bargain for investors who put profits first, with a similar view emerging for Amazon, with its PEG ratio of 1.9, versus Walmart at 5.76 and Costco at 5.2.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 18, 2026
The risk is that a conflict drags on or spirals into something the U.S. didn’t bargain for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
Then he used the fight to bargain for a park trip.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
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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.