MEANING
1. To settle on an amount exactly halfway between two amounts that have been proposed.
2. To accept part of each side’s position in order to reach an agreement.
Use it for
settling a price at the midpoint; compromising between two numerical offers; describing an exact halfway settlementDistinguishes an exact numerical midpoint from a looser compromise between positions. Writing functions: Compromise.
Words that belong together
- split the difference between two offers
- agree to split the difference
On the page
She offered ninety pounds, he asked for a hundred and ten, and they split the difference at a hundred.
Rather than extend the price negotiation, both sides agreed to split the difference.
The committee split the difference by allowing a shorter trial period.
The editor tried to split the difference between the author’s title and the marketing team’s alternative.
Word forms
- Base
- split the difference
Usage notes
Verbal idiom: split/splits/split/split/splitting the difference. Numeric and broader compromise senses are distinguished. Register: neutral. Commonness: common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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