haggle

[hag-uhl]

verb (used without object)

haggled, haggling 

1. to bargain in a petty, quibbling, and often contentious manner.

   They spent hours haggling over the price of fish.

2. to wrangle, dispute, or cavil.

   The senators haggled interminably over the proposed bill.

verb (used with object)

haggled, haggling 

1. to mangle in cutting; hack.

2. to settle on by haggling.

3. Archaic.,  to harass with wrangling or haggling.

noun

1. the act of haggling; wrangle or dispute over terms.

haggle

/ ˈhæɡəl /

verb

1. to bargain or wrangle (over a price, terms of an agreement, etc); barter

2. rare,  (tr) to hack

Other Word Forms

• haggler noun
• unhaggled adjective
• unhaggling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of haggle¹

1275–1325; Middle English haggen to cut, chop (< Old Norse hǫggva to hew ) + -le

Word History and Origins

Origin of haggle¹

C16: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse haggva to _hew

Example Sentences

In the midst of Belém’s COP30 bedlam, environmentalists, economists, lobbyists and diplomats busily haggle at the global climate conference about what we can and cannot get away with in negotiations over Mother Nature.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Captain Babushkinov haggled with the cab driver who would take them from the train station to their lodgings.

Read more on Literature

He has haggled about the price, which makes my brother think it’s a legit offer.

Read more on MarketWatch

Meanwhile, she has been haggling with the insurer for months after getting an estimate of only $250 a square foot to rebuild her home, less than a third of the going rate.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Last year, after two weeks of acrimonious haggling, COP29 ended unhappily with developed nations agreeing to provide $300 billion a year in climate finance to developing ones by 2035, well below what is needed.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• bargain 
• barter 
• dicker 
• quibble 
• squabble 
• wrangle