bargaining chip
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of bargaining chip
First recorded in 1970–75
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.
"Now it's no longer going to be able to use Lebanon as a bargaining chip."
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
Mamdani has already endorsed her, robbing himself of a valuable bargaining chip.
From Barron's • Feb. 21, 2026
But he didn’t mince words in describing how airlines became a bargaining chip during the shutdown negotiations.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 12, 2025
The natural resource became an important bargaining chip in trade negotiations between the U.S. and China, as the U.S. is heavily reliant on China to supply rare earth minerals.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025
“I won’t have that kind of bargaining chip in your possession.”
From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan
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.
