cut a deal

Idioms  

1. Offer or arrange an agreement or compromise, as in The administration is hoping to cut a deal with Japan. This expression uses deal in the sense of “business transaction.” [Colloquial; 1970s]

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Example Sentences

In 2024, the city cut a deal to provide $15 million in subsidized rent.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

Trump has suggested he is both willing to wait this out and in a rush to cut a deal.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

But Storch, who missed out being named the preferred bidder to Bord in December, returned to the table to cut a deal with the administrators.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

He enlisted Kraft to connect him with Trump, and cut a deal in the Oval Office to avoid the punitive order.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

Sizwe would cut a deal, and then he’d come to me.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah