dealer
Americannoun
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dealers
plural
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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.
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Cards. the player distributing the cards.
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a person who behaves or acts toward another or others in a specified manner.
a plain dealer.
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Slang. a person who buys and sells drugs illegally.
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a person who buys securities for their own account and retains them until sold to another.
noun
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a person or firm engaged in commercial purchase and sale; trader
a car dealer
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cards the person who distributes the cards
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slang a person who sells illegal drugs
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
According to the Jewish Federation’s lawsuit, the “Adam and Eve” paintings were part of a vast collection seized from prominent Dutch Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker by Hermann Göring, Hitler’s second-in-command.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
The firm is run by Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev, who Bulgarian prosecutors allege has already been targeted by Russian agents.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
He emphasizes that ”There were no failed auctions, no dealer balance sheet seizure, no forced unwinds.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Walter drew on loans from insurers to invest in startups, including plant-based food-maker Beyond Meat and online used-car dealer Carvana, according to insurance filings and people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 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
Auto dealers sold more cars and higher energy prices boosted receipts at gas stations, but sales were just as strong even if those two segments are excluded.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Many Wall Street dealers expected the Treasury to announce buybacks in a range of $6 billion to $8 billion.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
After July's rout of AI-linked firms, dealers have been edging back into the sector, confident that the vast sums invested in recent years will pay off -- despite concerns about elevated valuations.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
Wall Street analysts and some Ford dealers have questioned whether the Fathom will be a hit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
And on the floors below us, in order of descent, were three small firms of computer dealers, attorneys, and real estate brokers.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
