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Showing results for chaffer. Search instead for chaffered.
Synonyms

chaffer

1 American  
[chaf-er] / ˈtʃæf ər /

noun

  1. bargaining; haggling.

verb (used without object)

  1. to bargain; haggle.

    to chaffer over a price.

  2. to bandy words; chatter.

    to chaffer about nothing in particular.

verb (used with object)

  1. to bandy (words).

  2. Obsolete. to trade or deal in; barter.

chaffer 2 American  
[chaf-er] / ˈtʃæf ər /

noun

  1. a person who chaffs chaff or banters.

chaffer British  
/ ˈtʃæfə /

verb

  1. (intr) to haggle or bargain

  2. to chatter, talk, or say idly; bandy (words)

  3. obsolete (tr) to deal in; barter

"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

noun

  1. haggling or bargaining

"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

Other Word Forms

  • chafferer noun

Etymology

Origin of chaffer1

1175–1225; Middle English chaffare, derivative of chapfare trading journey, equivalent to Old English cēap trade ( cheap ) + faru journey; fare

Origin of chaffer2

First recorded in 1850–55; chaff 2 + -er 1

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.

There appraisers sit with ancient scales, chaffer to the utmost kran,* seal their purchase with a solemn glass of tea.

From Time Magazine Archive

The hubbub and chaffer of it all went on the day long.

From The Heart of Unaga by Cullum, Ridgwell

"Keep your chaffer still, won't 'ee!" snarled the other.

From Our Admirable Betty A Romance by Farnol, Jeffery

One least leaf plucked for chaffer from the bays Of their dear praise, One jot of their pure conquest put to hire, The implacable republic will require.

From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Alden, Raymond MacDonald

Well, I’ll see: maybe I shall walk over one of these days and chaffer with him.

From One Snowy Night Long ago at Oxford by Irwin, M. (Madelaine)

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.