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

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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 Another subtype is paltering, where the models use a selective true statement to mislead the human. — IEEE Spectrum, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palter
  1. deal
  2. negotiate
  3. bargain
  4. haggle
Verb
  • Harry lives by a code, stealing and dealing only tangible things — cash, phones, jewelry.
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • This year, however, trails were closed to protect the desert tortoise, dealing a fatal blow to the town's crucial tourism industry.
    — Joy Benedict, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of deal
Verb
  • On the one hand, the relief came through energy, when Washington granted a series of short-term waivers that kept the NIS refinery running while Hungary’s MOL negotiated to buy out the Russian stake.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026
  • With an unfriendly Congress, decisions about who pays and where cuts are made will also test Lula’s ability to negotiate.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of negotiate
Verb
  • Members overwhelmingly voted to authorize the strike earlier this month, accusing the state of failing to bargain in good faith after their contract expired in June.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Something like this wouldn’t happen in the major pro leagues, since eligibility rules are collectively bargained between leagues and unions and are thus exempt from antitrust scrutiny.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of bargain
Verb
  • The Trasks encounter a wide swath of citizens, haggling with sneaky cheats, exploiting innocent fools, and befriending big-hearted neighbors.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2026
  • If a cost is strategically important and scales with you forever, the answer is rarely to haggle over it.
    — Serhii Zakharov, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
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 28 Oct. 2026.

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