deal breaker
Americannoun
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an aspect, condition, or item that would not be accepted by a party to a business transaction or political deal.
Prior to committing to a partnership, the corporation needs to have a clear vision of deal breakers versus where they are willing to be flexible.
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something that would cause a person to abandon a plan, mutual arrangement, agreement, or relationship.
Sorry, but entering into marriage with a partner who has hefty debt or terrible credit is definitely a deal breaker.
Etymology
Origin of deal breaker
First recorded in 1975–80; deal 1 ( def. ) + breaker 1 ( def. )
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.
That is a deal breaker for travelers like the San Diego convention-goer who incredulously asked me why anyone would book an all-inclusive package in a city with so many great restaurants.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
If return-to-office mandates are a deal breaker, Choudhury said you don’t have to be limited to domestic employers in your job hunt.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 9, 2026
Greater voting control is a deal breaker for Tesla’s robot future, Musk made clear on the company’s third-quarter earnings call.
From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025
"When they're used to buying grain for 30 to 50 cents a pound . . . That can be an immediate deal breaker," Heilman says.
From Salon • Sep. 21, 2023
He even offered to draw chest and leg hairs on the Wild Boy of Bainbridge Island, but the whole permanent-ink thing was a deal breaker as far as I was concerned.
From "Winger" by Andrew Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
