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bargain

noun · verb

Simple meaning

An agreement between parties fixing obligations of each.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

bahrguhn

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈbɑɹɡən

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. An agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each

  2. An agreement between parties concerning the sale of property; or a contract by which one party binds themself to transfer the right to some property for a consideration, and the other party binds themself to receive the property and pay the consideration.

  3. An agreement or stipulation; mutual pledge.

  4. An item purchased for significantly less than the usual, or recommended, price

  5. A gainful transaction; an advantageous purchase.

  6. The thing stipulated or purchased.

verb

  1. intransitive

    To make a bargain; to make a deal or contract for the exchange of property or services; to negotiate; to haggle.

  2. transitive

    To transfer for a consideration; to barter; to trade

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: An agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each

Used this way, bargain is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use bargain

  • “We bargained for a beautiful rug in the bazaar.”verb
  • “He made a bargain with the devil.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

plea bargaingood bargainhard bargainbad bargainbargain pricebest bargainbetter bargain

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • bargainingnounInflected form

    The negotiation of the terms of a transaction or agreement.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • bargain hunternounCompound term

    A shopper who hunts for bargains.

  • bargaining chipnounCompound term

    Leverage in the form of an inducement or a concession useful in successful negotiations.

  • bargain ratenounCompound term

    A price below the standard price.

  • bargain downverbCompound term

    Persuade the seller to accept a lower price.

  • collective bargainingnounCompound term

    Negotiation between an employer and trade union.

  • for a bargain priceadverbCompound term

    For a relatively small amount of money.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

noun

Sense: agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each

cheapArchaic

verb

Sense: to make a bargain

bartercheap

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.