deal

[ deel ]

/ dil /

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.

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“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

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Idioms for 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

before 900; (v.) Middle English delen, Old English dǣlan (cognate with German teilen), derivative of dǣl part (cognate with German Teil); (noun) in part derivative of the v.; (in defs 19, 23) Middle English deel, del(e), Old English dǣl

SYNONYMS FOR deal

3 act, behave.

5 traffic.

10 allot, assign, dole; mete, dispense.

16 pact, contract.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR deal ON THESAURUS.COM

Words nearby deal

deafferentation, deafmutism, deafness, deak, deakin, deal, deal in, deal out, deal with, dealate, dealcoholization

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for deal out (1 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)

British Dictionary definitions for deal out (2 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 out (3 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

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

Idioms and Phrases with deal out (1 of 2)

deal out

Distribute, as in He dealt out more and more work. [Late 1300s] Also see deal in, def. 3.

deal someone out. Exclude someone, as in I don't have time for this project, so deal me out. This usage is the opposite of deal in, def. 3.

Idioms and Phrases with deal out (2 of 2)

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

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

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

noun

Verb Phrases

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Idioms for deal

Origin of deal

SYNONYMS FOR deal

Words nearby deal

Words related to deal out

British Dictionary definitions for deal out (1 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for deal out (2 of 3)

verb deals, dealing or dealt (dɛlt)

noun

Word Origin for deal

British Dictionary definitions for deal out (3 of 3)

noun

adjective

Word Origin for deal

Idioms and Phrases with deal out (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with deal out (2 of 2)