dealership

American  

[dee-ler-ship] / ˈdi lərˌʃɪp /

noun

• dealerships
  plural

1. authorization to sell a commodity.

   He got the dealership for the area after a long investigation into his credit status.

2. a sales agency or distributor having such authorization.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dealerships
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dealership

First recorded in 1915–20; dealer + -ship

Explanation

A store that has approval to sell a specific brand of goods is a dealership. If you have your heart set on buying a brand new Harley Davidson motorcycle, you might want to visit a dealership for a test ride. A business is considered a dealership if its owner is authorized to sell a certain item (in other words, they're a dealer of that product). It's most common to talk about car dealerships, whether the cars they sell are new or used, but there are also boat dealerships and recreational vehicle dealerships. This word dates from about 1916, when it was defined as "the business of an authorized trader."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dealership dealerships

The used car dealership said it 'works hard to resolve problems when they arise'

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

But it also means buyers won’t know the best price they can get on a car until they get it directly from the dealership.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Fieri testified during the trial that he didn’t know Wade and didn’t give him permission to take his car out of the San Francisco dealership.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

When foreigners come to his dealership, they are taken aback by the prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

After Zeitoun’s release, their friend Walt loaned them a car from his Lexus dealership, and Kathy and Zeitoun drove it back into the city and to the house on Dart.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Indian, which lists 25 Canadian dealerships on its website, didn’t respond to requests for comment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

They can be used for performances and presentations, child care, companionship and customer service assistance at places such as car dealerships and salons.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Clothing stores, furniture stores and car dealerships may be among the more obvious places to make a deal, but there are some other negotiable goods and services that may be less well known.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

Despite previous tariffs increasing costs for manufacturers, car dealerships have absorbed the "lion's share" to date, according to Bernard Yaros, lead economist at Oxford Economics.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Throughout the West, frontier regions that had long revolved around the horse were now dotted with sleek, modern Howard dealerships.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand