New Deal
Americannoun
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the principles of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, especially those advocated under the leadership of President Franklin D. Roosevelt for economic recovery and social reforms.
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the domestic program of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, especially during the period from 1933 to 1941.
noun
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the domestic policies of Franklin D. Roosevelt for economic and social reform
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the period of the implementation of these policies (1933–40)
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The New Deal remains controversial. Some have criticized it as too expensive and have called it an inadvisable expansion of federal control over the American economy. Others have insisted that the New Deal was an appropriate response to desperate conditions and produced programs of continuing value.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of New Deal
1830–35, as political catchphrase during the Jackson presidency
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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.
As I recounted in my book “The New Deal: A Modern History,” Smith’s keynote speech at the league gala was broadcast on a national radio hookup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Jews and Democrats share an honorable history from FDR’s New Deal to civil rights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, designed to respond to the Great Depression, had expanded the federal government’s role in the economy and empowered organized labor.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
“We’re creating a window on what downtown could look like,” said Simon Bertrang, executive director of SF New Deal, the nonprofit behind Vacant to Vibrant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
The FTP was established in 1935 under the Works Progress Administration, one of the government’s New Deal programs intended to provide economic relief during the Great Depression.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
