# haggling

/ˈhæɡəɫɪŋ/ (US) · /hˈæɡlɪŋ/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/haggling
Updated: 2026-10-16

## Definition

talking with a seller to try to lower the price, with offers going back and forth. You do this in markets or small shops where prices are not fixed.

For teachers: prolonged bargaining over price or terms through successive offers and counteroffers, typically between buyer and seller.

## Examples

- They enjoy haggling with sellers at the weekend market.
- After ten minutes of haggling over the used bike, they agree on a fair price.
- The prolonged haggling in the street market, with its ritual offers, pauses for tea, and good-humoured walkaways, reveals bargaining as social performance as much as commerce.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.