dicker

[dik-er]

See more synonyms for dicker on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to deal, swap, or trade with petty bargaining; bargain; haggle.
to barter.
to try to arrange matters by mutual bargaining: They dickered for hours over some of the finer points of the contract.

noun

a petty bargain.
a barter or swap.
an item or goods bartered or swapped.
a deal, especially a political deal.

Origin of dicker

First recorded in 1795–1805; perhaps v. use of dicker²

dicker

[dik-er]

noun

the number or quantity ten, especially a lot of ten hides or skins.

Origin of dicker

1225–75; Middle English diker < Old French dacre, Medieval Latin dikeria; compare Latin decuria decury

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for dicker

haggle, barter, negotiate, palter, trade, huckster, chaffer

Examples from the Web for dicker

Contemporary Examples of dicker

The only thing America lacks is a tough, take no prisoners "Negotiator-in-Chief" to dicker America's way to the top again.
Trump's Tea Party Triumph
Jim DeFede
April 17, 2011

Historical Examples of dicker

It looks to me as if 'twould be pretty good business to dicker with him.
Thankful's Inheritance
Joseph C. Lincoln
Yet the men had an ineradicable propensity to dicker among themselves.
The Siege of Boston
Allen French
"I did not," confessed Mr. Dicker, with a mixture of shame and abhorrence.
Stories by American Authors (Volume 4)
Constance Fenimore Woolson
Dicker, I want you to bring in a bill to make Fastburg the only capital.
Stories by American Authors (Volume 4)
Constance Fenimore Woolson
"I'm a hustler on a dicker, and a hellion on junk," snapped the boss.
Blow The Man Down
Holman Day

British Dictionary definitions for dicker

dicker

verb

to trade (goods) by bargaining; barter
(intr) to negotiate a political deal

noun

1. a petty bargain or barter
2. the item or items bargained or bartered
a political deal or bargain

Word Origin for dicker

C12: ultimately from Latin decuria decury; related to Middle Low German dēker lot of ten hides

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

Word Origin and History for dicker

"haggle, bargain in a petty way," 1802, American English, perhaps from dicker (n.) "a unit or package of tens," especially hides (attested from late 13c.), perhaps from Latin decuria "parcel of ten" (supposedly a unit of barter on the Roman frontier; cf. German Decher "set of ten things"), from decem "ten" (see ten) on model of centuria from centum.