From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbargainbar‧gain1 /ˈbɑːɡɪn $ ˈbɑːr-/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 BBTCHEAPsomething you buy cheaply or for less than its usual price There are no bargains in the clothes shops at the moment. It’s an attractive little home, and I think it’s a bargain. That second-hand table was a real bargain. Good watches don't come at bargain prices. Bargain hunters (=people looking for things to buy at low prices) queued outside the store for hours.2 AGREEan agreement, made between two people or groups, to do something in return for something elsemake/strike a bargain Management and unions have struck a bargain over wage increases. I’ve kept my side of the bargain and I expect you to keep yours. → drive a hard bargain at hard1(18)3 → into the bargainCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa real bargainIn the market you can sometimes pick up a real bargain.an absolute bargain£59.99 is an absolute bargain.a brilliant/amazing bargainThe house they bought was an amazing bargain.verbslook for/search for a bargainShe began looking for bargains at car boot sales.get a bargainEveryone likes to think they are getting a bargain.find a bargainInvestors may be able to find some bargains this year.pick up/snap up a bargain (=find one)You can often pick up a bargain at an auction.offer a bargainThe Regency hotel is offering off-season bargains.bargain + NOUNa bargain priceIn the sales you can get a fully fitted kitchen at a bargain price.a bargain buyThis remains a bargain buy at £3.99.a bargain hunter (=someone looking for a bargain)Bargain hunters queued for hours before the store opened.bargain huntingThey're off to do some bargain hunting at the January sales.a bargain basement (=part of a large shop below ground where the price of goods is reduced)Everything is reduced to clear in the bargain basement!
Examples from the Corpus
bargain• Looking for a bargain on a status symbol?• All he had to do was strike a bargain.• He has already triggered a steep rise in transfer market prices by proving such a bargain at £2.5 million.• A bargain price may well attract considerable sales and at the same time discourage competitors.• Read in studio Antique dealers and bargain hunters have been looking through the belongings of the late Robert Maxwell.• Did you get any bargains at the market?• The 10-ounce can is a better bargain than the 4-ounce one.• The town has struck a Faustian bargain, they contend -- trading something of its small-town soul for success.• Airlines aren't making money on bargain fares.• I got this shirt when I was in Indonesia. It was a real bargain.• Internet-based travel services are also creating a niche for themselves by offering last-minute travel bargains.it’s a bargain• It looks nice on me and it's a bargain price, too!• At only £9.95, including postage and packing, it's a bargain.• With 12 clear plastic pockets, it's a bargain at £1.98.make/strike a bargain• Historically, an exchange was a physical thing; a room or building where people met to gather information and strike bargains.• The plant strikes a bargain with its emissary.• Buyer and seller strike a bargain with each individual purchase.• This should enable prosecutors to strike bargains at an appropriate penalty level.• The prison chaplain came to me in my cell and tried to make a bargain with me.• All he had to do was strike a bargain.• So we struck a bargain, or at least I thought we had. bargainbargain2 ●○○ verb [intransitive] BAGREEto discuss the conditions of a sale, agreement etc, for example to try and get a lower pricebargain for workers bargaining for better paybargain over They bargained over the level of wages.bargain with women bargaining with traders —bargainer noun [countable] He’s the hardest bargainer in the business. → bargain for something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
bargain• And you need know nothing, not even what we bargain among us.• So Knapman, committed to the mental hospital in August, has been stuck there longer than anyone bargained for.• All day Ambedkar bargained with the Hindu negotiators.bargain for• Oliver's bargaining for a raise.From Longman Business Dictionarybargainbar‧gain1 /ˈbɑːgənˈbɑːr-/ noun [countable]1something you buy cheaply or for less than the usual priceThe company’s shares are a bargain at the current level.He made a lot of money by buying houses at bargain prices and reselling them.2COMMERCEan agreement between two people or groups to do something in return for something elseManagement and unions have managed to strike a bargain whereby unions have accepted more flexible working in return for better pay.Football is important to Sky TV, and the clubs will now try todrive a hard bargain (=make a bargaining agreement very much to their advantage) on future TV rights.3FINANCE British English an occasion when particular shares, bonds etc are bought or sold on a financial market. The number of bargains in a particular period of time is one measurement of the level of economic activityIn government securities, the number of bargains per day has averaged nearly 3,300.bargainbargain2 verb [intransitive] to discuss the conditions of a sale, agreement etc in order to get the greatest advantage for yourself→ See Verb tableOrigin bargain2 (1300-1400) Old French bargaignier 