negotiation
Americannoun
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mutual discussion and arrangement of the terms of a transaction or agreement.
the negotiation of a treaty.
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the act or process of negotiating.
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an instance or the result of negotiating.
noun
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a discussion set up or intended to produce a settlement or agreement
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the act or process of negotiating
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of negotiation
1570–80; < Latin negōtiātiōn- (stem of negōtiātiō ) a doing of business, equivalent to negōtiāt ( us ) ( see negotiate) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A negotiation is a business-oriented conversation where two sides argue, discuss, and compromise to reach some agreement. When you hear the word negotiation, you know there are two sides and they're willing to talk to each other. In sports, the owners and the players union go through a negotiation to get a new contract. Parents and kids might have a negotiation over curfew time. Negotiation implies that both sides are willing to give something up and compromise. If your side won't give an inch, then you're not ready for negotiation.
Vocabulary lists containing negotiation
Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)
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"Marriage is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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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.
That’s all part of the negotiation, and for now the city of Anaheim has no party with which to negotiate.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
Both sides left the tougher negotiation on dismantling Iran’s nuclear work for the next 60 days.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
The preparatory talks had seen "coordinated attacks across the negotiation rooms by the small number of fossil fuel interests", said Manjeet Dhakal, an adviser to the 44-nation Least Developed Countries bloc.
From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026
Tijerina responded that if the motion carried, it would only start the negotiation process, before noting how unusual it was to re-rank proposals for a contract like this.
From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026
Two weeks before the scheduled July 1 start of the talks, the Russians suddenly had insisted that the agenda be broadened to encompass negotiation of the test ban itself.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
