verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/nəˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/
Received-Pronunciation:/nɪˈɡoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/
Received-Pronunciation:/nɪˈɡəʊ.si.eɪt/
Canada, General-American:/nəˈɡoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/
Canada, General-American:/nɪˈɡoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/
California:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australian:/nɪˈɡəʉ.ʃi.æɪt/
Australian, uncommon:/nɪˈɡəʉ.si.æɪt/
QueenslandRecorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:N AH0 G OW1 SH IY0 EY2 T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:N IH0 G OW1 SH IY0 EY2 T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
To confer with others in order to come to terms or reach an agreement.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
{{syn|en|treat|q1=formal; especially in order to reach a settlement}
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."
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To arrange or settle something by mutual agreement.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
We negotiated the contract to everyone's satisfaction.
The client and server computers must first negotiate a network protocol to be used.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To succeed in coping with, getting over or navigate a hazard or obstacle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
We negotiated the mountain track with difficulty.
Although the car was quite rickety, he could negotiate the curves very well.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To transfer to another person with all the rights of the original holder; to pass, as a bill.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
To transact business; to carry on trade.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
verb
Meaning 6
To intrigue; to scheme.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
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”).
Across languages
Translations
96 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
تَفَاوَضَ
(tafāwaḍa)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Armenian:
բանակցել
(banakcʻel)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Bulgarian:
уговарям
(ugovarjam)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Bulgarian:
уреждам
(ureždam)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Catalan:
negociar
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Chinese Mandarin:
談判 /谈判
(tánpàn)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Chinese Mandarin:
協商 /协商
(xiéshāng)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Chinese Mandarin:
交涉
(jiāoshè)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Ngazidja Comorian:
ufanya shauri
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Czech:
vyjednávat
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Dutch:
onderhandelen
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Esperanto:
trakti
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Esperanto:
intertrakti
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Estonian:
läbirääkimisi pidama
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
French:
négocier
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Galician:
negociar
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
German:
verhandeln
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Greek:
διαπραγματεύομαι
(diapragmatévomai)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Ancient Greek:
χρηματίζω
(khrēmatízō)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Hungarian:
tárgyal
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Italian:
negoziare
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Japanese:
交渉する
(kōshō suru)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Japanese:
折衝する
(sesshō suru)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Korean:
교섭하다
(gyoseophada)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Latin:
agō
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Latvian:
vest sarunas
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Lithuanian:
derėtis
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Lü:
ᦏᦲᦏᦸ
(ṫhiiṫhoa)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Macedonian:
преговара
(pregovara)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Māori:
whiriwhiri
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Mon:
ပ္ညဳပ္ညပ်ဗ္ဂပ်ဖျပ်
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Mon:
ပ္ညဳပ္ညပ်
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Norwegian:
forhandle
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Occitan:
negociar
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Polish:
negocjować
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Portuguese:
negociar
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Romanian:
discuta
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Russian:
вести́ перегово́ры
(vestí peregovóry)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Russian:
провести́ перегово́ры
(provestí peregovóry)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Slovak:
rokovať
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Spanish:
negociar
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Swedish:
förhandla
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Swedish:
underhandla
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Thai:
ต่อรอง
(dtɔ̀ɔ-rɔɔng)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Thai:
เจรจา
(jee-rá-jaa)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Turkish:
müzakere etmek
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Ukrainian:
вести́ перегово́ри
(vestý perehovóry)
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Vietnamese:
thương thuyết
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Vietnamese:
đàm phán
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Vietnamese:
thương thảo
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Vietnamese:
thương lượng
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Vietnamese:
hiệp thương
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Welsh:
cyd-drafod
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Welsh:
negodi
— confer to reach an agreement (intransitive)
Bulgarian:
договарям се
(dogovarjam se)
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Catalan:
negociar
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Czech:
vyjednat
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Finnish:
neuvotella
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
French:
négocier
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Galician:
negociar
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
German:
aushandeln
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Greek:
διαπραγματεύομαι
(diapragmatévomai)
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Hungarian:
megtárgyal
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Māori:
whiriwhiri
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Māori:
whiriwhiri kōrero
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Norwegian:
forhandle
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Norwegian:
drøfte
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Occitan:
negociar
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Polish:
uzgodnić
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Polish:
wynegocjować
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Portuguese:
negociar
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Russian:
догова́риваться
(dogovárivatʹsja)
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Russian:
договори́ться
(dogovorítʹsja)
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Spanish:
negociar
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Swedish:
förhandla
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Swedish:
underhandla
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Thai:
ต่อรอง
(dtɔ̀ɔ-rɔɔng)
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Ukrainian:
домовля́тися
(domovljátysja)
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Ukrainian:
домо́витися
(domóvytysja)
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Welsh:
trafod
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Welsh:
negodi
— arrange a mutual agreement (transitive)
Bulgarian:
преодолявам
(preodoljavam)
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
Catalan:
negociar
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
Dutch:
overwinnen
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
French:
négocier
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
German:
überwinden
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
Greek:
ξεπερνάω
(xepernáo)
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
Greek:
περνάω
(pernáo)
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
Hungarian:
legyőz
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
Hungarian:
leküzd
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
Māori:
whiriwhiri
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
Polish:
pokonywać
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
Polish:
pokonać
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
Russian:
преодолева́ть
(preodolevátʹ)
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
Russian:
преодоле́ть
(preodolétʹ)
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
Swedish:
klara av
— to succeed in coping with, getting over
