wheeler-dealer
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of wheeler-dealer
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.
Whereas Altman can be seen as a wheeler-dealer, racing to cut big deals to grow fast, Amodei staked out a comparably measured position—almost academic or, some might say, zealous.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
Mr. McCombs was a flamboyant wheeler-dealer who created more than 400 businesses across an array of industries, including oil, real estate, cattle, insurance, movies and racehorses, often selling them at a substantial profit.
From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2023
Though it seems impossible that wheeler-dealer Charlie, Mr. Sharper Image incarnate, will ever put anyone ahead of Numero Uno, there’s a little room for hope by the movie’s end.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2023
Giancarlo Giorgetti, Italy's new economy minister, is a veteran political wheeler-dealer viewed as a moderate and relatively pro-European member of his right-wing League party.
From Reuters ● Oct. 21, 2022
Terry had, by this time, made London his home where he'd enjoy dancing to disco music and felt free to live how he wanted - which could sometimes be like a wheeler-dealer.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2022
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.
