dicker
verb (used without object)
to deal, swap, or trade with petty bargaining; bargain; haggle.
had been dickering
-
past perfect progressiveof dicker.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
The U.S. had been dickering to get him back.
From Time Magazine Archive
Jackie Cochran's husband, famed Financier Floyd Odlum, had been dickering for Liberty for several months.
From Time Magazine Archive
For a year, Austrian Chancellor Julius Raab had been dickering with the Russians behind the allies' back, offering to neutralize Austria in return for the evacuation of the Red army.
From Time Magazine Archive
For months, four of the union's locals had been dickering unsuccessfully with 16 large city bakeries for higher pay and a five-day week.
From Time Magazine Archive
Rumors naturally fled about that M. Briand and Herr Stresemann had been dickering over the complete evacuation of the Rhineland.
From Time Magazine Archive
