a shrewdly conducted exchange, as of favors or objects, usually resulting from or accompanied by very close bargaining.
an exchanging or trading of horses.
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50
An Americanism dating back to 1820–30
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“A Rocky Mountain trade chain had carried horses to the Northwestern Plains by the 1730s. … The horse trade ignited a technological revolution that reconfigured several Indigenous worlds within a generation.”
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 29, 2023
The researchers saw the robustness of the bones decline in the early 16th century, which would coincide with a decline in the British horse trade.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 14, 2022
Some of the most heavily fished species are classified as threatened with extinction, but the sea horse trade, like everything else I’d seen in this market, is legal.
From Slate ● Nov. 9, 2018
The horse trade has its ups and downs – as I write this, it’s down, the worst in my lifetime.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 8, 2018
The Texan, at a horse trade keen as the edge of his bowie, took anything that could carry a saddle, at the same time receiving a “mighty heap” of dollars to square the exchange.
From The Guerilla Chief And other Tales by Reid, Mayne
Illustrating the horse-trade underway, a board presentation mentioned that $260 million will “be reimbursed to Sound Transit” as credits for transit to use state right of way, and for fish passage improvements.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 28, 2022
All were Democratic presidents who knew how to wheedle, bargain, glad-hand, joke, rib and horse-trade.
From US News ● Aug. 8, 2016
“At the start of the year, they had all sorts of ideas about how to horse-trade and think big,” said Jim Manley, a former senior aide to the Senate minority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada.
From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2015
He could wear you down with logic and argument, he could horse-trade and he could flatter.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 10, 2014
Now you ought to start in with me just the way Sol Lurchin was advised to when he wanted to tackle Cola Jordan, who had done him on a horse-trade.
From The Ramrodders A Novel by Day, Holman
He stopped his tour, tracked down the performer, horse-traded one of his kites for a glider, and took it back to the United States.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 13, 2019
Others horse-traded with friends who have HBO: I’ll cook dinner if I can watch at your place.
From New York Times ● Apr. 13, 2010
It didn’t feel like there was horse-trading here.
From Slate ● Feb. 20, 2026
In any case he will have to do more horse-trading with allies than has been his style thus far.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025
The horse-trading vote feels more like the norm, which is interesting enough.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2024
It means that Croatians are bracing themselves for weeks of political horse-trading, to see if a governing coalition can be formed.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2024
Mr. Simpson spent little time with his family, owing to certain awkward methods of horse-trading, or the "swapping" of farm implements and vehicles of various kinds,—operations in which his customers were never long suited.
From Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith
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.
