negotiate
verb
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The Controversial History of Negotiate
Negotiate found its way into the English language from the Latin verb negōtiārī, meaning "to do business, trade, or deal." Since its arrival, this word has developed a variety of applications. The "doing business" sense is still going strong: in addition to its most common use in situations where formal decisions (such as a price to be paid) are made by way of discussion, negotiate is also used to talk about the transfer or conversion of money, as in the phrase "negotiate a check." Negotiate has applications outside of commerce, too; it is sometimes used to mean "to successfully travel along or over," as when a cyclist is said to "negotiate mountainous terrain."
Examples of negotiate in a Sentence
Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Mar. 2025
Merz won’t take over as chancellor until after his conservative party has negotiated the formation of a new government with the social democrats—a process that could take weeks if not months.
—David Axe, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
Trump, who has been negotiating with Russian President Valdimir Putin to end his three-year Russian invasion and occupation of Ukraine − without participation from Ukraine or its European allies, much to their chagrin.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
Cole has argued Republicans are not bound to an agreement negotiated by two men no longer in office.
—Kevin Freking, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for negotiate
Cite this Entry
“Negotiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/negotiate. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
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negotiate
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negotiate
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