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

SpaceX last autumn cut a deal to buy spectrum from Charlie Ergen’s floundering EchoStar for $20 billion with the goal of bolstering its direct-to-cell service.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

All three were released in 2021 after Meng cut a deal with US prosecutors.

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026

But after the loss of three U.S. warplanes in mishaps, Trump cut a deal where the two sides agreed not to attack each other.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 3, 2025

President Donald Trump signaled a willingness to cut a deal with Democrats on a key issue affecting the government funding impasse.

From Barron's • Oct. 7, 2025

The feds cut a deal with Morrison: in return for getting his arrest warrant for assault quashed, he would work as an informant on the Osage murder cases.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann