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
In the labyrinthine world of Italian politics, Silvio Berlusconi was the supreme wheeler-dealer - a man who merged business and public life like no other.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2023
Generally speaking, Harold was the wheeler-dealer with the big Hollywood personality, Marvin was the quieter money man and Walter took the greatest interest in the artistic side of filmmaking.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 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
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
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.
