haggle

1 of 2

verb

hag·​gle ˈha-gəl How to pronounce haggle (audio)
haggled; haggling ˈha-g(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce haggle (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to cut roughly or clumsily : hack
2
archaic : to annoy or exhaust with wrangling

intransitive verb

: bargain, wrangle
haggling over the price
haggler noun

haggle

2 of 2

noun

: an act of negotiating or arguing over the terms of a purchase, agreement, or contract : an instance of haggling or bargaining
a haggle over price

Examples of haggle in a Sentence

Verb She is good at haggling. had to haggle to get his friend to sell his guitar for 20 bucks
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Vietnam has asked the United States to delay the April 9 implementation of sky-high tariffs announced last week in a test of how much President Trump is willing to haggle over his protectionist trade agenda. John Ruwitch, NPR, 6 Apr. 2025 While a sale may not allow haggling during the early hours, rules often go out the window toward the end, Brannon says. Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 22 Mar. 2025 The eventual decisions could redefine the relationships between the three branches of government: the executive and legislative haggling over spending priorities and the judiciary as the referee. Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2025 Hamas said on Tuesday that the second phase of talks in the ceasefire deal, which involved haggling over the release of the remaining hostages, had begun. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for haggle

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

frequentative of hag to hew

First Known Use

Verb

1589, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1829, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of haggle was in 1589

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Haggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haggle. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

haggle

verb
hag·​gle
ˈhag-əl
haggled; haggling
-(ə-)liŋ
: to dispute or argue especially in bargaining
haggle noun
haggler
-(ə-)lər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on haggle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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