deal

UK: /ˈdiːl/ US: /dil/ ,(dēl)

Inflections of 'deal' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

deals

v 3rd person singular

dealing

v pres p

dealt

v past

dealt

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

deal¹ /dil/   v., dealt/dɛlt/  deal•ing, n. 
v. 

1. [ not: be + ~-ing;
   ~ + with + obj] to be about;
   to be concerned with;
   to have to do with:
   Botany deals with the study of plants.
2. [ ~ + with + obj] to take necessary action with respect to a thing or person;
   to handle or see to:
   Law courts deal with criminals.
3. [ ~ + with + obj] to act, behave, or conduct oneself toward persons:
   You have to learn how to deal with all sorts of people.
4. to trade or do business:
   [~ + in/with + object] to deal in used cars.
5. to deliver;
   administer: [ ~ + obj + to + obj]:
   to deal a heavy blow to his opponent.
   [ ~ + obj + obj]:
   He dealt his opponent a heavy blow.
6. Games to give out or distribute something, such as playing cards, among a number of people: [no obj]:
   Whose turn is it to deal?
   [ ~ + obj]:
   The person on the left deals the cards.
   [~ + object + to + object]
   I dealt two cards to each player.
   [~ + object + object]
   I dealt each player two cards.
   [~ + out + object]
   I dealt out the children's allowances one by one.
7. Slang Terms to buy and sell (drugs) illegally: [no obj]:
   He was dealing when we arrested him.
   [~ + object]
   dealing all sorts of drugs.

n. [countable]

8. a business transaction or arrangement:
   The company will make a deal with a Japanese firm.
9. an arrangement in which both sides benefit:
   the best deal in town.
10. a secret or underhand agreement or bargain:
    made some deals to get the bill passed.
11. Informal Terms treatment received in dealing with another:
    He got a raw deal when he was fired.
12. Games
    • the set of playing cards in one's hand.

Idioms

13. a great or good deal (of), an unknown but large quantity or amount (of);
    a lot (of):
    has a great deal of money to spend; feels a good deal better.
14. Idioms deal someone in, [~ + object + in] [Slang.] to include someone:
    If this is a plot to get revenge on him, then deal me in.

deal•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

deal¹  (dēl), v., dealt, deal•ing, n. 
v.i. 

1. to occupy oneself or itself (usually fol. by with or in):
   Botany deals with the study of plants. He deals in generalities.
2. to take action with respect to a thing or person (fol. by with):
   Law courts must deal with lawbreakers.
3. to conduct oneself toward persons:
   He deals fairly.
4. to be able to handle competently or successfully;
   cope (fol. by with):
   I can't deal with your personal problems.
5. to trade or do business (fol. by with or in):
   to deal with a firm; to deal in used cars.
6. to distribute, esp. the cards in a game (often fol. by out):
   to deal out five hands of six cards each; your turn to deal.
7. Slang Terms to buy and sell drugs illegally.
8. [Archaic.] to have dealings or commerce, often in a secret or underhand manner (often fol. by with):
   to deal with the Devil.

v.t. 

9. to give to one as a share;
   apportion:
   Deal me in.
10. Games to distribute among a number of recipients, as the cards required in a game:
    Deal five cards to each player.
11. Games [Cards.] to give a player (a specific card) in dealing:
    You dealt yourself four aces.
12. to deliver;
    administer:
    to deal a blow.
13. Slang Terms to buy and sell (drugs) illegally.
14. Slang Terms to trade (an athlete) to another team.
15. deal off:
    • Games [Poker.] to deal the final hand of a game.
    • Slang Terms to get rid of or trade (something or someone) in a transaction.
16. Slang Terms, Idioms deal someone in, to include:
    He was making a lot of dough in the construction business so I got him to deal me in.

n. 

17. a business transaction:
    They closed the deal after a week of negotiating.
18. a bargain or arrangement for mutual advantage:
    the best deal in town.
19. a secret or underhand agreement or bargain:
    His supporters worked a number of deals to help his campaign.
20. Informal Terms treatment received in dealing with another:
    He got a raw deal.
21. an indefinite but large quantity, amount, extent, or degree (usually prec. by good or great):
    a good deal of work; a great deal of money.
22. Games [Cards.]
    • the distribution of cards to the players in a game.
    • the set of cards in one's hand.
    • the turn of a player to deal.
    • the period of time during which a deal is played.
23. an act of dealing or distributing.
24. Government (cap.) an economic and social policy pursued by a political administration:
    the Fair Deal; the New Deal.
25. [Obs.] portion;
    share.
26. Idioms cut a deal, [Informal.] to make an agreement, esp. a business agreement:
    Networks have cut a deal with foreign stations for an international hookup.

• bef. 900; (verb, verbal) Middle English delen, Old English dǣlan (cognate with German teilen), derivative of dǣl part (cognate with German Teil); (noun, nominal) in part derivative of the verb, verbal; (in defs. 21 and 25) Middle English deel, del(e), Old English dǣl

Synonyms

• 3. act, behave.
• 5. traffic.
• 10. allot, assign, dole; mete, dispense.
• 18. pact, contract.

deal²  (dēl), n. 

1. Building a board or plank, esp. of fir or pine, cut to any of various standard sizes.
2. Building such boards collectively.
3. Building fir or pine wood.

adj. 

4. Building made of deal.

• Middle Low German or Middle Dutch; see thill
• late Middle English dele 1375–1425

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

deal / diːl/ verb (deals, dealing, dealt / dɛlt/)

1. (intransitive) followed by in: to engage (in) commercially: to deal in upholstery
2. (often followed by out) to apportion (something, such as cards) to a number of people; distribute
3. (transitive) to give (a blow) to (someone); inflict
4. (intransitive) to sell any illegal drug

noun

1. a bargain, transaction, or agreement
2. a particular type of treatment received, esp as the result of an agreement: a fair deal
3. an indefinite amount, extent, or degree (esp in the phrases goodorgreat deal)
4. the process of distributing the cards
5. a player's turn to do this
6. a single round in a card game
7. See big deal
8. cut a deal ⇒ to come to an arrangement; make a deal
9. the real deal ⇒ a person or thing seen as being authentic and not inferior in any way

Etymology: Old English dǣlan, from dǣl a part; compare Old High German teil a part, Old Norse deild a share

deal / diːl/ noun

1. a plank of softwood timber, such as fir or pine, or such planks collectively
2. the sawn wood of various coniferous trees, such as that from the Scots pine (red deal) or from the Norway Spruce (white deal)

adjective

1. of fir or pine

Etymology: 14th Century: from Middle Low German dele plank; see thill

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Deal / diːl/ noun

1. a town in SE England, in Kent, on the English Channel: two 16th-century castles: tourism, light industries. Pop: 96 670 (2003 est)