deal

[ deel ]

/ dil /

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See synonyms for: deal / dealing / dealt on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), dealt, deal·ing.

to occupy oneself or itself (usually followed by with or in): Botany deals with the study of plants. He deals in generalities.

to take action with respect to a thing or person (followed by with): Law courts must deal with lawbreakers.

to conduct oneself toward persons: He deals fairly.

to be able to handle competently or successfully; cope (followed by with): I can't deal with your personal problems.

to trade or do business (followed by with or in): to deal with a firm; to deal in used cars.

to distribute, especially the cards in a game (often followed by out): to deal out five hands of six cards each; your turn to deal.

Slang. to buy and sell drugs illegally.

Archaic. to have dealings or commerce, often in a secret or underhand manner (often followed by with): to deal with the Devil.

verb (used with object), dealt, deal·ing.

to give to one as a share; apportion: Deal me in.

to distribute among a number of recipients, as the cards required in a game: Deal five cards to each player.

Cards. to give a player (a specific card) in dealing: You dealt yourself four aces.

to deliver; administer: to deal a blow.

Slang. to buy and sell (drugs) illegally.

Slang. to trade (an athlete) to another team.

noun

a business transaction: They closed the deal after a week of negotiating.

a bargain or arrangement for mutual advantage: the best deal in town.

a secret or underhand agreement or bargain: His supporters worked a number of deals to help his campaign.

Informal. treatment received in dealing with another: He got a raw deal.

an indefinite but large quantity, amount, extent, or degree (usually preceded by good or great): a good deal of work; a great deal of money.

Cards.

the distribution of cards to the players in a game.
the set of cards in one's hand.
the turn of a player to deal.
the period of time during which a deal is played.

an act of dealing or distributing.

(initial capital letter) an economic and social policy pursued by a political administration: the Fair Deal; the New Deal.

Obsolete. portion; share.

Verb Phrases

deal off,

Poker. to deal the final hand of a game.
Slang. to get rid of or trade (something or someone) in a transaction.

OTHER WORDS FOR deal

3 act, behave.

5 traffic.

10 allot, assign, dole; mete, dispense.

16 pact, contract.

See synonyms for deal on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

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shall

should

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Idioms about deal

cut a deal, Informal. to make an agreement, especially a business agreement: Networks have cut a deal with foreign stations for an international hookup.

deal someone in, Slang. to include: He was making a lot of dough in the construction business so I got him to deal me in.

Origin of deal

First recorded before 900; Middle English verb delen, dalen, dealen “to separate, divide, share, have dealings,” Old English dǣlan (cognate with German teilen “to divide, share”), derivative of dǣl “part, portion” (cognate with German Teil ); Middle English noun del, dæl, deal, Old English dǣl; in part derivative of the verb

Words nearby deal

deafmutism, deafness, deaf without speech, Deak, Deakin, deal, dealate, deal breaker, dealcoholization, dealcoholize, dealer

Other definitions for deal (2 of 2)

deal²

[ deel ]

/ dil /

noun

a board or plank, especially of fir or pine, cut to any of various standard sizes.

such boards collectively.

fir or pine wood.

adjective

made of deal.

Origin of deal

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English dele, dile, from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch dele; see thill

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use deal in a sentence

Some moderates hope Pelosi will come around and make a deal -- particular now that the Problem Solvers Caucus has laid out a bipartisan bluepring.
Trump moves closer to Pelosi in economic aid talks, and House speaker must decide next move|Rachael Bade, Erica Werner|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
In the weeks before a trial in the case, lawyers for Bluestone filed documents detailing a draft deal worked out separately with the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.
This Billionaire Governor’s Coal Company Might Get a Big Break From His Own Regulators|by Ken Ward Jr.|September 17, 2020|ProPublica
They called the state action “a self-dealing administrative order” and said the proposed penalties “are insufficient to deter future violations, leaving a realistic prospect of continued noncompliance.”
This Billionaire Governor’s Coal Company Might Get a Big Break From His Own Regulators|by Ken Ward Jr.|September 17, 2020|ProPublica
Asked whether advertisers are required to commit to spend a minimum amount of money to advertise on NBCU’s properties in order to access the program, the NBCU spokesperson said each deal is different and negotiated on an individual basis.
NBCUniversal tests new measurement program to prove it can push product sales for advertisers|Tim Peterson|September 17, 2020|Digiday

So when the governor calls in the National Guard, perhaps on behalf of a mayor to respond to a particular situation, you’re there to fulfill the vision of that municipality dealing with whatever emergency effort it is.
Mobilizing the National Guard Doesn’t Mean Your State Is Under Martial Law. Usually.|by Logan Jaffe|September 17, 2020|ProPublica
“Personally, I deal with manners of righteousness and God,” he says.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Speculation raged that Duke agreed not to run as part of the deal, though it was never proven.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He later accepted a plea deal that put him behind bars for 25 years.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It's not necessarily a deal-breaker, but it is kind of a top priority.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the wee hours of Christmas morning, a flight deal was shared in an exclusive Facebook group for urban travelers.
‘We Out Here’: Inside the New Black Travel Movement|Charlise Ferguson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They are very urgent questions; our sons and daughters will have to begin to deal with them from the moment they leave college.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
The patriarchal decree of the government was a good deal of a joke on the plains, anyway—except when you were caught defying it!
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
She and her younger sister, Janet, had quarreled a good deal through force of unfortunate habit.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
In practice we find a good deal of technical study comes into the college stage.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Bernard sat thinking for a long time; at first with a good deal of mortification—at last with a good deal of bitterness.
Confidence|Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for deal (1 of 3)

deal¹

/ (diːl) /

verb deals, dealing or dealt (dɛlt)

(intr foll by in) to engage (in) commerciallyto deal in upholstery

(often foll by out) to apportion (something, such as cards) to a number of people; distribute

(tr) to give (a blow) to (someone); inflict

(intr) slang to sell any illegal drug

noun

informal a bargain, transaction, or agreement

a particular type of treatment received, esp as the result of an agreementa fair deal

an indefinite amount, extent, or degree (esp in the phrases good or great deal)

cards

the process of distributing the cards
a player's turn to do this
a single round in a card game

See big deal

cut a deal informal, mainly US to come to an arrangement; make a dealSee also deal with

the real deal informal a person or thing seen as being authentic and not inferior in any way

Word Origin for deal

Old English dǣlan, from dǣl a part; compare Old High German teil a part, Old Norse deild a share

British Dictionary definitions for deal (2 of 3)

deal²

/ (diːl) /

noun

a plank of softwood timber, such as fir or pine, or such planks collectively

the sawn wood of various coniferous trees, such as that from the Scots pine (red deal) or from the Norway Spruce (white deal)

adjective

of fir or pine

Word Origin for deal

C14: from Middle Low German dele plank; see thill

British Dictionary definitions for deal (3 of 3)

Deal

/ (diːl) /

noun

a town in SE England, in Kent, on the English Channel: two 16th-century castles: tourism, light industries. Pop: 96 670 (2003 est)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with deal

deal

In addition to the idioms beginning with deal

deal in
deal out
deal with

also see:

big deal
close the sale (deal)
cut a deal
done deal
good deal
make a federal case (big deal)
no deal
raw deal
square deal
sweeten the kitty (deal)
wheel and deal

deal

OTHER WORDS FOR deal

Idioms about deal

Origin of deal

Words nearby deal

Other definitions for deal (2 of 2)

Origin of deal

Words related to deal

How to use deal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for deal (1 of 3)

Word Origin for deal

British Dictionary definitions for deal (2 of 3)

Word Origin for deal

British Dictionary definitions for deal (3 of 3)

Other Idioms and Phrases with deal