disapproval If you say that people are dickering about something, you mean that they are arguing or disagreeing about it, often in a way that you think is foolish or unnecessary. Management and labor are dickering over pay, benefits and working conditions He may be expecting us to dicker. Don't. to argue about or discuss the details of a sale, agreement etc dicker about/over (Perhaps from dicker (11-19 centuries) (from the exchanging of skins for other goods))