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Business English vocabulary · Negotiations

Meet halfway

Meaning in business english, with examples

/ˌmiːt hæfˈweɪ/idiomCommon term

In business english, meet halfway means: To reach an agreement by each side accepting part of what the other wants, for example by splitting a price difference.

In Turkish: orta yolu bulmak, yarı yoldan gelmek, karşılıklı adım atmak

How it is used

Used in friendly negotiations: 'Can we meet halfway?', 'I'm willing to meet you halfway on the price.' Similar to 'split the difference' and 'find a middle ground'.

Example sentences

  1. You asked for 15% and we offered 5%. Can we meet halfway at 10%?

  2. If you can meet us halfway on delivery costs, we'll sign today.

Common collocations

  • meet someone halfway
  • meet halfway on the price
  • willing to meet halfway
  • split the difference
  • compromiseAn agreement in which each side gives up part of what it wanted so that both can accept the result. Also used as a verb.
  • concessionSomething that one side agrees to give up or allow during a negotiation in order to reach an agreement.
  • win-winDescribing a situation or agreement in which both sides gain something and nobody loses.
  • negotiateTo discuss something formally with another side in order to reach an agreement both can accept, for example on price or contract terms.

More terms: Negotiations

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