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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.

See Examples For:

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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