dealer
Americannoun
-
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.
-
Cards. the player distributing the cards.
-
a person who behaves or acts toward another or others in a specified manner.
a plain dealer.
-
Slang. a person who buys and sells drugs illegally.
-
a person who buys securities for their own account and retains them until sold to another.
noun
-
a person or firm engaged in commercial purchase and sale; trader
a car dealer
-
cards the person who distributes the cards
-
slang a person who sells illegal drugs
Other Word Forms
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.
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.
Getting into the new-car game required Carvana to become a dealer itself.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
Currently, a user can fill out a form online, paying £191.02 to register to become a waste carrier, broker or dealer.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
Meanwhile, Carvana eschews traditional dealer tactics like commissioned salespeople, price haggling and profitable documentation fees tacked onto the transaction.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
When the company’s machines are out of service, it often ends up renting replacement machines from its Deere dealer, adding to the cost of repairs.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
“The plate itself is bad, yes, but not the plate rack, the kind the dealer gives you to advertise the dealership.”
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
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.
