seal the deal
Americanidiom
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to complete or successfully negotiate an agreement.
If our top executive can't seal the deal, no one can.
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to secure or ensure a successful conclusion: A last-minute goal sealed the deal for Baltimore.
He had aced both interviews, and if the director liked him that would seal the deal.
A last-minute goal sealed the deal for Baltimore.
Etymology
Origin of seal the deal
First recorded in 1950–55
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.
Racing with more caution early on she started motoring in the second half to seal the deal with ease.
From Barron's • Jan. 25, 2026
Trump is sending his top envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to help seal the deal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 5, 2025
“I just wonder if going through this is just going to seal the deal on killing small family farms.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2025
Skenes’ girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, the popular Louisiana State gymnast and influencer, also took to X on Friday to help her boyfriend’s team seal the deal.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2024
No nose-kiss to seal the deal, but I knew it was decided.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
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.
