1. To mislead through evasive statements, unreliable assurances, or promises you do not sincerely mean.
2. To bargain or argue over terms, especially the price of something.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- palter with the truth
- palter with someone
- palter over an answer
On the page
Pressed about the missing funds, the treasurer paltered with assurances of an imminent explanation.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- palter
- Past tense
- paltered
- Past participle
- paltered
- Present participle
- paltering
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- palter
- Present continuous
- am/is/are paltering
- Present perfect
- have/has paltered
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been paltering
- Past
- paltered
- Past continuous
- was/were paltering
- Past perfect
- had paltered
- Past perfect continuous
- had been paltering
- Future
- will palter
- Future continuous
- will be paltering
- Future perfect
- will have paltered
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been paltering
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated prose. Lexical Type: Word. Forms: palter; palters; paltered; paltered; paltering Commonness: uncommon (editorial estimate; not a corpus frequency statistic). Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1; numbered fields keep each relevant meaning separate. Research distinction: MW explicitly contrasts insincere assurances with direct lying and separately records bargaining; both retained. Writing functions: precise action, characterization. Third-person singular: palters.
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