palter

verb

ˈpȯl-tər How to pronounce palter (audio)
Definition of palternext
as in to deal
to talk over or dispute the terms of a purchase unwilling to palter over the price of the car

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb palter differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of palter are equivocate, fib, lie, and prevaricate. While all these words mean "to tell an untruth," palter implies making unreliable statements of fact or intention or insincere promises.

a swindler paltering with his investors

When is equivocate a more appropriate choice than palter?

While the synonyms equivocate and palter are close in meaning, equivocate implies using words having more than one sense so as to seem to say one thing but intend another.

equivocated endlessly in an attempt to mislead her inquisitors

When is it sensible to use fib instead of palter?

The words fib and palter are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fib applies to a telling of a trivial untruth.

fibbed about the price of the new suit

When can lie be used instead of palter?

Although the words lie and palter have much in common, lie is the blunt term, imputing dishonesty.

lied about where he had been

How do prevaricate and lie relate to one another, in the sense of palter?

Prevaricate softens the bluntness of lie by implying quibbling or confusing the issue.

during the hearings the witness did his best to prevaricate

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of palter Rather than wait to share the witches’ paltering pronouncements with Lady M (Indira Varma) in person, the thane of Glamis chooses to send word to his wife in advance of his return from battle. —Rhoda Feng, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palter
  1. deal
  2. negotiate
  3. bargain
  4. haggle
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Trump's immigration agenda was dealt another recent blow after the Supreme Court, in a 7-2 ruling, temporarily blocked the president from invoking the Alien Enemies Act to detain or deport Venezuelan nationals.
    — Sonam Sheth Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
  • Prospective international students to the U.S. were dealt another blow when U.S. embassies were ordered not to schedule any new student visa interviews while the Trump Administration prepares to expand its vetting of applicants’ social media profiles.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 May 2025
Definition of deal
Verb
  • The manufacturing giant had resumed negotiating with the IAM union on May 22.
    — Staff report, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2025
  • The deal was negotiated between Signature Entertainment’s chief commercial officer Elizabeth Williams and HanWay Films’ Head of Sales Nicole Mackey.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2025
Definition of negotiate
Verb
  • That would allow monopsony on the buyer side to bargain with monopoly on the seller side.
    — John C. Goodman, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
  • The changes were enforced unilaterally with Starbucks failing to bargain with union members over the new policy, the group said.
    — Tanasia Kenney, Sacbee.com, 20 May 2025
Definition of bargain
Verb
  • For weeks, Republicans in Congress have been haggling over cuts to Medicaid, the health care program for the poor.
    — Editorial, Boston Herald, 27 May 2025
  • House members had spent several days last week haggling over nuances in the bill, including spending cuts and concerns over its impact on long-term debt.
    — Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 19 May 2025
Definition of haggle

Browse Nearby Words

palsy-walsy
palter
paltered
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Palter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palter. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

'Bring' vs. 'Take'

Is it 'used to' or 'use to'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

10 Hella Good U.S. Regionalisms

The Clinical History of 'Moron,' 'Idiot,' and 'Imbecile'

And So It Begins: 9 Words for Beginnings
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All