bargain

bargain — noun

1. an item you buy for much less money than it is normally worth, so you feel you g

1.nounB1
Definition

an item you buy for much less money than it is normally worth, so you feel you got a very good deal.

Example

Ines found a leather jacket for ten dollars at the church sale — what a bargain!

exclamation: 'what a bargain!'

The blue sofa was a real bargain because the store was closing down.

collocation: 'a real bargain'

Common collocations
  • real bargain
  • great bargain
  • absolute bargain
  • pick up a bargain
  • bargain price
  • what a bargain
Synonyms
  • deal

    broader and more informal — any good purchase, not always cheap

  • steal

    informal; emphasises the price was almost unfairly low

  • good buy

    neutral phrase; less emphatic than bargain

Antonyms
  • rip-off

    informal; the opposite — paying far more than the item is worth

Grammar Patterns

a bargain

a real/great bargain

a bargain at [price]

Usage Note

Often appears in the exclamation 'What a bargain!' and with adjectives like 'real', 'great', or 'absolute'. The speaker is praising the low price relative to the item's quality, not just stating it was cheap.

Common Mistakes

I bought it in a bargain price.
I bought it at a bargain price.
use 'at', not 'in', with bargain price.
This shop has many bargain.
This shop has many bargains.
bargain is countable, so use the plural form.

2. an agreement in which two sides each promise to give or do something for the oth

2.nounB2
Definition

an agreement in which two sides each promise to give or do something for the other.

Example

Diego made a bargain with his sister: she walks the dog, he cleans the kitchen.

pattern: make a bargain with [person]

The two countries struck a bargain to share fishing rights along the coast.

collocation: 'strike a bargain'

Common collocations
  • make a bargain
  • strike a bargain
  • reach a bargain
  • keep one's side of the bargain
  • a bargain with
Synonyms
  • agreement

    more general and more formal; covers any mutual decision

  • deal

    very common; often interchangeable but more informal

  • pact

    more serious or formal; often between groups or nations

Grammar Patterns

make/strike a bargain

a bargain with someone

keep one's side of the bargain

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about a mutual agreement, not a low-priced item. Frequently appears as 'make / strike / reach a bargain' and in the fixed phrase 'keep your side of the bargain'.

Common Mistakes

They did a bargain to share the costs.
They made a bargain to share the costs.
use 'make' or 'strike', not 'do', with this sense.
Idioms

drive/strike a hard bargain

idiom

To negotiate very firmly and demand the best possible terms for yourself.

Maya drove a hard bargain and got the car for $2,000 less.

Did the seller strike a hard bargain when you bought the house?

into the bargain

idiom

In addition to what has already been mentioned or obtained.

The hotel room was cheap, and we got free breakfast into the bargain.

He is a talented musician and a great teacher into the bargain.

bargain — verb

bargain — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe paying less than normal, but they differ in scope and tone. A 'bargain' is the item itself bought cheaply for its quality — 'I picked up a bargain at the market.' A 'deal' is broader: it can be a low price, a free extra, or an arrangement; 'a good deal on the car' may include service or financing, not just price. A 'steal' is the most informal and most enthusiastic, suggesting the price was almost unfairly low — 'At ten dollars, this jacket was a steal.' A 'discount' is the amount or percentage taken off the original price ('a 20% discount'), not the item; you ask for a discount, but you find a bargain. In short: discount is the cut, bargain and steal are the items, and deal is the whole transaction.

bargain ↗deal ↗steal ↗discount ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bargain price
  • bargain hunter
  • bargain basement
  • bargain bin

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

  • with (a person)
  • over (an issue)
  • for (a thing)

Etymology

Latin/FrankishOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

Bargain entered English in the 14th century from Old French 'bargaignier', meaning to haggle or argue over a price. The French word may go back to a late Latin form 'barcaniare' or to a Frankish root linked to lending and trading. From the start it carried both ideas that survive today: the act of negotiating, and the deal that comes out of it. The 'cheap purchase' meaning grew out of the older 'agreement' meaning — when both sides settled on a low price, the item itself came to be called a bargain.