noun / verb
compromise
KAHM-pruh-myze/ˈkɑːmprəmaɪz/
An agreement reached by each side giving up something.
The negotiators reach a compromise by dividing the loaf equally.
Etymology
“Before” and “send” combine in the ancestor meaning “promise”; “together” makes this a mutual pledge to accept an arbiter’s decision. The word shifted from that pledge to the settlement itself, reached through mutual concessions.
In context
in order for a compromise to work both people get a little of what they want and both people give up
More examples
- They compromise on a price halfway between their original offers.
- Our compromise gives you the car today and me tomorrow.
- Both sides make compromises to keep the project moving.
Forms
compromise · compromises · compromised · compromising
Similar words
- agreement
- Broader term; neither side necessarily gives anything up.
- settlement
- Emphasizes resolving a dispute, not necessarily through mutual concessions.