dealer
Americannoun
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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.
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Cards. the player distributing the cards.
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a person who behaves or acts toward another or others in a specified manner.
a plain dealer.
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Slang. a person who buys and sells drugs illegally.
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a person who buys securities for their own account and retains them until sold to another.
noun
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a person or firm engaged in commercial purchase and sale; trader
a car dealer
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cards the person who distributes the cards
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slang a person who sells illegal drugs
Other Word Forms
- dealership noun
- predealer noun
- subdealer noun
Etymology
Origin of dealer
First recorded before 1000; Middle English delere, Old English dǣlere. See deal 1, -er 1
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.
The trucks, designed and built in the U.S. for American buyers, are exactly what Volkswagen dealers have spent years clamoring for.
Many of the recalls involve a trip to the dealer to update software or have parts inspected.
From Barron's
Judge Iain Pester has now agreed to issue an order to force an art dealer to disclose details of his trades with the unnamed intermediary.
From BBC
“Overall, we expect that dealers will continue to prudently manage inventories until a market inflection dictates a change in course as the upcoming spring selling season gets under way.”
Car buyers spent over $26 billion on destination charges in 2025, a fee some dealers say is a less transparent price increase.
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.
