dicker

1
[ dik-er ]
See synonyms for dicker on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
  1. to deal, swap, or trade with petty bargaining; bargain; haggle.

  2. to barter.

  1. to try to arrange matters by mutual bargaining: They dickered for hours over some of the finer points of the contract.

noun
  1. a petty bargain.

  2. a barter or swap.

  1. an item or goods bartered or swapped.

  2. a deal, especially a political deal.

Origin of dicker

1
An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805; perhaps verb use of dicker2

Words Nearby dicker

Other definitions for dicker (2 of 2)

dicker2
[ dik-er ]

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

Origin of dicker

2
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English diker, deker, from Old French dacre and Medieval Latin dikeria, dacra; ultimately from Latin decuria decury

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dicker in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dicker

dicker

/ (ˈdɪkə) /


verb
  1. to trade (goods) by bargaining; barter

  2. (intr) to negotiate a political deal

noun
    • a petty bargain or barter

    • the item or items bargained or bartered

  1. a political deal or bargain

Origin of dicker

1
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