dealer

[dee-ler]

noun

1. a person who buys and sells articles without altering their condition; trader or merchant, especially a wholesaler.

   I got a dealer's discount on this coat.

2. Cards.,  the player distributing the cards.

3. a person who behaves or acts toward another or others in a specified manner.

   a plain dealer.

4. Slang.,  a person who buys and sells drugs illegally.

5. a person who buys securities for their own account and retains them until sold to another.

dealer

/ ˈdiːlə /

noun

1. a person or firm engaged in commercial purchase and sale; trader

   a car dealer

2. cards the person who distributes the cards

3. slang,  a person who sells illegal drugs

Other Word Forms

• dealership noun
• predealer noun
• subdealer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dealer¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English delere, Old English dǣlere. See deal ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

The soap legend who played Pat Butcher described the actor, who was car dealer Roy Evans between 1994 and 2003, as "not only a lovely man, but a true gentleman to work with".

Read more on BBC

While Indian rose to second place in North American market share, Harley dealers generally don’t consider the brand to be a serious rival, though they admire some of its products.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Over the past few trading sessions, interest rates for silver in London surged as dealers raced to get hold of the metal to settle positions.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

So many customers flocked to a New York City gold dealer this past week that staff had to ask people to wait outside.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

This was a tactic that street dealers had used for years.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• banker 
• merchant 
• retailer www.thesaurus.com
• trader 
• trafficker www.thesaurus.com
• vendor 
• wholesaler