negotiate
Americanverb (used without object)
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negotiates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
negotiated,
past participle, past
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negotiating
present participle
verb (used with object)
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negotiates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
negotiated,
past participle, past
-
negotiating
present participle
-
to arrange for or bring about by discussion and settlement of terms.
to negotiate a loan.
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to manage; transact; conduct.
He negotiated an important business deal.
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to move through, around, or over in a satisfactory manner.
to negotiate a difficult dance step without tripping: to negotiate sharp curves.
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to transfer (a draft, promissory note, etc.) to a new owner by endorsement and delivery or by delivery.
verb
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to work or talk (with others) to achieve (a transaction, an agreement, etc)
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(tr) to succeed in passing through, around, or over
to negotiate a mountain pass
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(tr) finance
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to transfer (a negotiable commercial paper) by endorsement to another in return for value received
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to sell (financial assets)
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to arrange for (a loan)
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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negotiatesimple
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negotiatessimple
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have negotiatedperfect
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has negotiatedperfect
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am negotiatingprogressive
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are negotiatingprogressive
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is negotiatingprogressive
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have been negotiatingperfect progressive
-
has been negotiatingperfect progressive
Past
-
negotiatedsimple
-
had negotiatedperfect
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was negotiatingprogressive
-
were negotiatingprogressive
-
had been negotiatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of negotiate
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin negōtiātus “traded,” past participle of negōtiārī “to do business, trade,” verb derivative of negōtium “business,” from nec, neg- “not” ( cf. neglect ( def. )) + ōtium “leisure”
Explanation
To negotiate is to try to work out an agreement between parties that each want something out of the deal. You might negotiate with your mom — offering to do more chores for a raise in your allowance. Good luck. Negotiation is all about give and take. Governments are always negotiating with unions, trying to define the terms of new contracts. The government might offer the teachers union a raise, if they agree to work 200 days a year instead of 180. The verb negotiate can also mean to successfully pass through or travel along. You may have to negotiate a hazardous road, or a tricky path through sticker bushes.
Vocabulary lists containing negotiate
Chains
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Vocabulary from the First Presidential Debate: September 26, 2016
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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.
See Examples For:
That allowed them to negotiate with the Premier League and reach a sanctioning agreement.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
How do you negotiate professional boundaries with a 15-year-old?
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
The two companies will also separately negotiate carriage fees with cable providers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
The parties had been set to negotiate in late August, but Bonta pulled the plug on those sessions, accusing Paramount of leaking misinformation and “playing games.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
He sensed the possibility of an opening - room to negotiate.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Though it negotiates from a position of weakness, it frames survival itself as victory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Some people, including Tellez, believe a diplomatic solution is still possible, in which a coalition of countries negotiates with Nicaragua’s leaders for a transition to democracy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
If that is the case, Iran may be attempting to establish a new regional reality: one in which it negotiates from a position of strength while actively enforcing its own red lines.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
Among his secrets: He pays a monthly membership fee for constant access to a primary-care doctor, scores cheap prescriptions by using discounts and manufacturers’ coupons, and negotiates with hospitals and doctors’ offices for deals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
While other children of their age learned other things, Estha and Rahel learned how history negotiates its terms and collects its dues from those who break its laws.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
In their filing, the companies said the agreement was negotiated “at arm’s length” after “two months of hard-fought litigation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
For a fight negotiated so publicly for so many years, the familiar mix of claims, counter-claims and cryptic posts had returned almost immediately.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Mr. Trump’s new agreement, negotiated both with the Danes and with the Greenlanders themselves, explicitly preserves U.S. military access even if Greenland eventually becomes independent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Of course, other merchants were selling those items for lower prices or had recently slashed their prices, and prices can be negotiated downward.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
During the summer of 1961 a sixteen-game match between the two players was negotiated and a prize fund of $8,000 was promised, with $1,000 awarded to each player in advance.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The company has identified nearly 400 “musecases” ranging from auditing unnecessary subscriptions to negotiating parking tickets.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026
It can handle tasks like sending an email, booking travel, filling out forms or negotiating on behalf of a user.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
A spokesperson said the authority was in the process of negotiating access when legal proceedings were initiated.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Beyond the hardheaded negotiating, Emanuel says he’s also a great believer in serendipity—and in showing up every day to stay in the fight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
He had also begun negotiating a contract with Eastman Kodak for large-scale industrial production of these nonradioactive substances.
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.
