done deal

Idioms  

1. An irrevocable agreement, as in Once you've signed the lease, it's a done deal. This slangy expression, first recorded in 1979, may have come from done thing, originating in the late 1600s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

done deal

A rate rise is no longer a done deal this year with just 21 basis points of rate rises priced in by December.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Though she described the settlement as a done deal, she obliquely suggested changes might still be afoot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Croce said it was a done deal, warned her to stop questioning him and later told the nominating committee she was insubordinate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

It's far from a done deal - Paramount still needs approval from regulators.

From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026

“Yes. Yes, I could, and I will, if it comes to that. I don’t want to, but if I have to, it’s a done deal, no problem whatsoever for me.”

From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin