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Synonyms

dealer

American  
[dee-ler] / ˈdi lər /

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 British  
/ 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

"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

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

Explanation

Anyone whose job (or hobby) involves buying and reselling something is a dealer. If you buy candy in bulk and sell it to your friends at a profit, you can call yourself a candy dealer. Sometimes this term implies that the goods being sold are illegal or illicit. It's even more commonly used to describe people who sell art, cars, or antiques. If you play poker with your friends and it's your turn to hand out the cards, you're also a dealer. This meaning, a player who passes out the cards in a game, dates from 1600.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

Imagine a Harley-Davidson customer at the dealer who takes out a loan to purchase a new motorcycle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

In response, Chinese companies have invested in dealer networks and marketing across the UK, accelerating the rise in sales.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

That way, if the stock rises, the dealer makes some money on the stock to offset losses on selling the options contract.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Fix emphasizes the importance of shopping around beyond your local dealer because of how prices differ regionally.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

At two o’clock on American Cities Day Prendergast left his mother’s house and walked to a shoe dealer on Milwaukee Avenue.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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.