deal with
Britishverb
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to take action on
to deal with each problem in turn
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to punish
the headmaster will deal with the culprit
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to be concerned with
the book deals with Dutch art
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to conduct oneself (towards others), esp with regard to fairness
he can be relied on to deal fairly with everyone
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to do business with
the firm deals with many overseas suppliers
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See deal in , def. 1.
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Do business with someone, as in I like dealing with this company . [Late 1600s] Also see deal in , def. 2.
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Take action in, handle, administer, dispose of, as in The committee will deal with this matter . [Second half of 1400s]
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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.
But they don’t have to deal with the high costs of driving.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
The retailer reported lower profit as it continues to deal with a difficult market backdrop, though result came ahead of analysts’ views according to a poll provided by the company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
This was introduced because of concerns that Scotland would end up with more incinerators than needed to deal with the available waste, particularly if recycling rates increased.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
We’re having to reinforce roads to deal with extreme heat or extreme precipitation.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
“I’m sorry you had to deal with that, man,” he tells Mr. Zeke.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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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.