dealer
Americannoun
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dealers
plural
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a person who buys and sells articles without altering their condition; trader or merchant, especially a wholesaler.
I got a dealer's discount on this coat.
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Cards. the player distributing the cards.
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a person who behaves or acts toward another or others in a specified manner.
a plain dealer.
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Slang. a person who buys and sells drugs illegally.
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a person who buys securities for their own account and retains them until sold to another.
noun
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a person or firm engaged in commercial purchase and sale; trader
a car dealer
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cards the person who distributes the cards
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slang a person who sells illegal drugs
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of dealer
First recorded before 1000; Middle English delere, Old English dǣlere. See deal 1, -er 1
Explanation
Anyone whose job (or hobby) involves buying and reselling something is a dealer. If you buy candy in bulk and sell it to your friends at a profit, you can call yourself a candy dealer. Sometimes this term implies that the goods being sold are illegal or illicit. It's even more commonly used to describe people who sell art, cars, or antiques. If you play poker with your friends and it's your turn to hand out the cards, you're also a dealer. This meaning, a player who passes out the cards in a game, dates from 1600.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“We are already present on all the centralized and decentralized exchanges. Broker dealer unlocks new opportunities.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Positive dealer gamma could help stabilize the market and keep daily moves contained.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
A rapid shift in dealer gamma positioning, falling implied volatility and heavy activity in bullish call options appears to have amplified the move.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Wholesale volumes were strong in the quarter but dealer inventories were elevated, particularly in the U.S., he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
When he finishes, he drives through town to the dealer who leased his father the car, and then he takes a cab back to Baron’s Court.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
So, if I walk up to someone tonight, maybe one of the younger dealers, they'll noticeably swallow.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Among major categories, retail sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers were down 1.8 percent from the prior month.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Stellantis’ U.S. market share plunged, especially as dealers said the company kept prices high.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Under state law, dealers in California may continue to use up supplies of paraquat for up to two years following the effective date of their cancellation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Everybody came out—hay farmers, clerks, merchants, fishermen, crabbers, carpenters, loggers, net weavers, truck farmers, junk dealers, real estate brigands, hack poets, ministers, lawyers, sailors, squatters, millwrights, cedar rats, teamsters, plumbers, mushroom foragers, and holly pruners.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
