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Synonyms

bargain for

British  

verb

  1. (intr, preposition) to expect; anticipate (a style of behaviour, change in fortune, etc)

    he got more than he bargained for

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bargain for Idioms  
  1. 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]

  2. 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.

See Examples For:

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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