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
Economy Minister Massa, a wheeler-dealer with connections across the political divide, is meanwhile pledging a unity government and has looked to win over moderate conservatives.
From Reuters ● Nov. 14, 2023
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
Presenting himself as a global wheeler-dealer to voters in his multicultural borough, Mr. Adams signed at least five sister city agreements on Brooklyn’s behalf in countries he visited, including two in China.
From New York Times ● Oct. 23, 2021
“Here’s the wheeler-dealer, and instead of dealing, he folded and, consequently, he became a loser.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2020
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.
