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.
Iran may have gained a valuable bargaining chip.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
Lai added that the United States did not need to "to frame Taiwan as a bargaining chip in any discussions with China".
From Barron's • Feb. 12, 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
"If he did," Ishtar said coolly, "he'd have no bargaining chip with you, now, would he?"
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
