Word of the Day

: November 23, 2024

negotiate

verb nih-GOH-shee-ayt

What It Means

To negotiate is to discuss something formally in order to make an agreement. Negotiate can also mean, when applied to people or things in motion, "to get through, around, or over successfully."

// The parties negotiated an agreement.

// The trail is designed for an experienced skier who can negotiate unpredictable terrain.

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negotiate in Context

"Once in relationships, millennials are keen to protect their personal interests—a change reflected in their embrace of prenuptial agreements, the unprecedentedly high rates at which they maintain separate bank accounts, and even in the way they negotiate domestic affairs and disputes." — Anastasia Berg and Rachel Wiseman, What Are Children For?: On Ambivalence and Choice, 2024

Did You Know?

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."