bargaining

the negotiation of the terms of a transaction or agreement

• plea bargaining — (criminal law) a negotiation in which the defendant agrees to enter a plea of guilty to a lesser charge and the prosecutor agrees to drop a more serious charge
• haggle, haggling, wrangle, wrangling — an instance of intense argument (as in bargaining)
• holdout — a refusal by a negotiator to come to terms in the hope of obtaining a better deal

• negotiation, dialogue, talks — a discussion intended to produce an agreement