bargain
[bahr-guh n]
- an advantageous purchase, especially one acquired at less than the usual cost: The sale offered bargains galore.
- an agreement between parties settling what each shall give and take or perform and receive in a transaction.
- such an agreement as affecting one of the parties: a losing bargain.
- something acquired by bargaining.
- Informal. an agreeable person, especially one who causes no trouble or difficulty (usually used in negative constructions): His boss is no bargain.
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- to discuss the terms of a bargain; haggle; negotiate.
- to come to an agreement; make a bargain: We bargained on a three-year term.
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- to arrange by bargain; negotiate: to bargain a new wage increase.
- to anticipate as likely to occur; expect (usually followed by a clause): I'll bargain that he's going to give those company directors plenty of trouble.
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- bargain for, to anticipate or take into account: The job turned out to be more than he had bargained for.
- bargain on, to expect or anticipate; count or rely on: You can't bargain on what she'll do in this situation.
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- in/into the bargain, over and above what has been stipulated; moreover; besides: The new housekeeper proved to be a fine cook in the bargain.
- strike a bargain, to make a bargain; agree to terms: They were unable to strike a bargain because the owner's asking price was more than the prospective buyer could afford.
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Origin of bargain
1300–50; (v.) Middle English bargaynen < Anglo-French, Old French bargai(g)ner, probably < Frankish *borganjan, extended form of Germanic *borgan (compare Old High German bor(a)gēn to look after, Middle High German, German borgen to lend, borrow); (noun) Middle English bargayn < Anglo-French, Old French bargai(g)ne, bargain, noun derivative of the v.; o > a in 1st syllable is unexplained
Synonyms
See more synonyms for bargain on Thesaurus.com2. stipulation, arrangement, transaction. 7. contract, covenant.
Synonym study
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
bargain
- an agreement or contract establishing what each party will give, receive, or perform in a transaction between them
- something acquired or received in such an agreement
- US
- something bought or offered at a low pricea bargain at an auction
- (as modifier)a bargain price
- into the bargain or US in the bargain in excess of what has been stipulated; besides
- make a bargain or strike a bargain to agree on terms
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- (intr) to negotiate the terms of an agreement, transaction, etc
- (tr) to exchange, as in a bargain
- to arrive at (an agreement or settlement)
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Word Origin
C14: from Old French bargaigne, from bargaignier to trade, of Germanic origin; compare Medieval Latin barcāniāre to trade, Old English borgian to borrow
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for strike a bargain
bargain
n.
mid-14c., "business transaction or agreement," also "that which is acquired by bargaining," from Old French bargaine, from bargaignier (see bargain (v.)). Meaning "article priced for special sale" is from 1899. A bargain basement (1899) originally was a basement floor in a store where bargains were displayed.
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bargain
v.
late 14c., from Old French bargaignier (12c., Modern French barguigner) "to haggle over the price," perhaps from Frankish *borganjan "to lend" or some other Germanic source, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *borgan (cf. Old High German borgen; Old English borgian, source of borrow). Another suggestion is that the French word comes from Late Latin barca "a barge," because it "carries goods to and fro." There are difficulties with both suggestions. Related: Bargained; bargaining.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with strike a bargain
strike a bargain
Reach an agreement, as in They finally struck a bargain after weeks of wrangling over who would get what. [Mid-1700s]
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bargain
In addition to the idiom beginning with bargain
- bargain for
also see:
- drive a bargain
- into the bargain
- make the best of it (a bad bargain)
- more than one bargained for
- strike a bargain
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.