Dictionary

negotiate en · VERB

Pronunciation

• audio Queensland
• /nəˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /nɪˈɡəʉ.si.æɪt/ (Australia, uncommon)
• /nəˈɡoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/ (Canada, General-American)
• /nɪˈɡoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /nɪˈɡoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/ (Canada, General-American)
• /nɪˈɡəʉ.ʃi.æɪt/ (Australia)
• (California) audio
• /nɪˈɡəʊ.si.eɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

c. 1598; borrowed from Latin negōtiātus, perfect active participle of negōtior (“to do business, trade”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from negotium (“business”) + -or, from nec (“not”) + otium (“leisure, ease, inactivity”).

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To confer with others in order to come to terms or reach an agreement.
   • 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., to the eight fellow clergymen who opposed the civil rights action, "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Why We Can't Wait "You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue."
2. (transitive) To arrange or settle something by mutual agreement.
   • We negotiated the contract to everyone's satisfaction.
   • The client and server computers must first negotiate a network protocol to be used.
   • Hidden behind thickets of acronyms and gorse bushes of detail, a new great game is under way across the globe.[…]The current power play consists of an extraordinary range of countries simultaneously sitting down to negotiate big free trade and investment agreements. 2013 July 19, Timothy Garton Ash, “Where Dr Pangloss meets Machiavelli”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 18:
3. (transitive) To succeed in coping with, getting over or navigate a hazard or obstacle.
   • Novak Djokovic earlier had negotiated his own tricky passage through the fifth day. 2012 June 29, Kevin Mitchell, “Roger Federer back from Wimbledon 2012 brink to beat Julien Benneteau”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 15 Nov 2016:
   • Although the car was quite rickety, he could negotiate the curves very well.
   • We negotiated the mountain track with difficulty.
4. (transitive) To transfer to another person with all the rights of the original holder; to pass, as a bill.
5. (obsolete) To transact business; to carry on trade.
   • Jews, Turks, Armenians,[…]negotiating in this famous Emporium. 1645 June 23 (Gregorian calendar), John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for June 1645]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […]; and sold by John and Arthur Arch, […], published 1819, →OCLC:
6. (obsolete) To intrigue; to scheme.
   • Certaine it is, shee was a busie negotiating woman. 1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

negotiator · negotiable · negotiation · unnegotiated · prenegotiated · renegotiate · nonnegotiating · negotiatory · negotiating table · negotiability · misnegotiate

Relateds

otiose

Synonyms

treat

Translations (98)

fr négocier (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · zdj ufanya shauri (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · hy բանակցել (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · mi whiriwhiri (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · lt derėtis (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · lv vest sarunas (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · ru договори́ться (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · hu leküzd (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · de aushandeln (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · bg преодолявам (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · cmn 交涉 (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · cs vyjednávat (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · fr négocier (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · ar تَفَاوَضَ (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · fr négocier (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · gl negociar (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · pl negocjować (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · th ต่อรอง (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · pl uzgodnić (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · mi whiriwhiri kōrero (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · el ξεπερνάω (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · vi thương lượng (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · nl overwinnen (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · pt negociar (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · ru преодоле́ть (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · cs vyjednat (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · cmn 協商 /协商 (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · bg уреждам (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · mnw ပ္ညဳပ္ညပ်ဗ္ဂပ်ဖျပ် (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · ru провести́ перегово́ры (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · no forhandle (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · cy negodi (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · es negociar (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · tr müzakere etmek (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · cy cyd-drafod (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · th เจรจา (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · el περνάω (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · vi đàm phán (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · ca negociar (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · gl negociar (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · khb ᦏᦲᦏᦸ (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · mnw ပ္ညဳပ္ညပ် (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · vi thương thuyết (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · mi whiriwhiri (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · ca negociar (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · fi neuvotella (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · eo trakti (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · ru вести́ перегово́ры (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · vi thương thảo (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · th ต่อรอง (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · ja 折衝する (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · ru преодолева́ть (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · hu legyőz (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · uk домовля́тися (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · uk домо́витися (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · oc negociar (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · el διαπραγματεύομαι (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · pl pokonać (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · cy trafod (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · sv förhandla (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · nl onderhandelen (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · ja 交渉する (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · ko 교섭하다 (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · sk rokovať (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · ca negociar (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · fi neuvotella (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · hu tárgyal (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · bg договарям се (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · fi selviytyä (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · la agō (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · ru догова́риваться (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · ro discuta (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · sv underhandla (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · sv förhandla (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · de überwinden (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · pl wynegocjować (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · uk вести́ перегово́ри (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · es negociar (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · no drøfte (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · cy negodi (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · sv underhandla (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · vi hiệp thương (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · hu megtárgyal (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · sv klara av (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · de verhandeln (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · et läbirääkimisi pidama (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · cmn 談判 /谈判 (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · eo intertrakti (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · bg уговарям (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · no forhandle (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · el διαπραγματεύομαι (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · mi whiriwhiri (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · pl pokonywać (to succeed in coping with, getting over) · pt negociar (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · it negoziare (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · mk преговара (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)) · oc negociar (arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)) · grc χρηματίζω (confer to reach an agreement (intransitive))