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deal with

British  

verb

  1. to take action on

    to deal with each problem in turn

  2. to punish

    the headmaster will deal with the culprit

  3. to be concerned with

    the book deals with Dutch art

  4. to conduct oneself (towards others), esp with regard to fairness

    he can be relied on to deal fairly with everyone

  5. to do business with

    the firm deals with many overseas suppliers

"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

deal with Idioms  
  1. See deal in , def. 1.

  2. Do business with someone, as in I like dealing with this company . [Late 1600s] Also see deal in , def. 2.

  3. Take action in, handle, administer, dispose of, as in The committee will deal with this matter . [Second half of 1400s]

  4. Act in a specified way toward someone, as in He dealt extremely fairly with his competitors . [c. 1300]


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.

Head coach Brendon McCullum said England must deal with the "backlash" to their dismal 4-1 defeat in Australia.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

While oil has dropped to under $100 a barrel, markets appeared skittish on Friday over the prospects for a deal, with mixed messages appearing to emerge out of the region.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

In equity markets, Asian stocks rallied on hopes for a deal with Japan’s Nikkei closing at another record high.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

Crude-oil prices in the U.S. and internationally tumbled to their lowest levels of the session on Friday as President Donald Trump called a meeting to help finalize a deal with Iran.

From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026

I know there’s only one way to deal with this feeling of emptiness, and that is to do more of the same.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

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