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to deal

to deal

324 3.0
To buy and sell goods, sometimes illegally
  • verb
  • /diːl/
  • NSFW
translation icon : comerciar en
  • We know you're dealing in drugs.
  • deal in drugs

Merley, were you dealing drugs at a young age?

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Examples

  • We deal in lead, friend.

  • Peru's rules on holding and dealing in foreign exchange changed frequently during the 1980s.

    Academic text (1991)
  • If you want to get to India fast, you deal with Air India.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • A sugar daddy is dealing drugs.

  • At least I kept a roof over our heads, dealing in items I would rather not discuss.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • They accept the US dollar and they don't deal in change, just paper.

  • We stand up for TN in court; we help TN buy, deal, and borrow.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • But McGraw-Hill and Time Life don't have to deal in fake manuscripts.

  • With India, however, we are dealing mainly with yam-rich monsoon forest, not rainforest.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The police arrested him for dealing illegal substances in the neighborhood.

Synonyms

to sell
vsto deal
1.0

To give something to someone for money

covers giving goods for money but also buying and other exchange types, legal or illegal
to trade
vsto deal
291 2.3

To buy and sell goods or services as a business

also covers nonbusiness or illegal exchanges not limited to markets
to fence
vsto deal
  • NSFW
11 9.1

To buy stolen goods and sell them to other people

covers buying and selling both stolen items and other goods
to traffic
vsto deal
  • NSFW
7 8.1

To buy or sell illegal goods

includes both legal and illegal buying or selling activities

Antonyms

45 4.8

To collect and keep large amounts of food or other things for future use

Idioms

449 1.8

A large amount or a big saving when buying something

354 1.8

Shows that something is done a lot

81 2.4

To a great degree

An offer with the lowest price or best value in the area

Put someone into a difficult situation they cannot control because of bad luck

1 7.9

To put someone into a bad or difficult situation because of bad luck

5.0

To handle a situation well by using what you have

To negotiate strongly to get a better price or better terms

Phrasal Verbs

to cut a deal
  • Informal
94 3.5

Make an agreement after talking, often in business or politics

to seal the deal
  • Informal
22 4.0

Make an agreement official by accepting its final terms

To agree with someone after talking about the details

3 3.2

To give things to several people, often one by one, like cards

3 6.9

To make deals quickly and cleverly to get an advantage

To complete the steps to make a business agreement official

To stop taking part in an agreement you already agreed to

Successfully get a business agreement or contract

To give each player a set of cards in a card game

To respond to or handle people who say mean things about you, often online

4.9

To discuss the details of an agreement until both sides agree

to snag a deal
  • Informal
5.2

To get a good price on things like flights or cars

Compounds

677 1.6

A large amount of something, for example patience or money

586 2.1

An important thing or event that affects people

163 1.0

A large amount of something often used with of

big deal
  • Informal
37 3.8

An important person who is treated as successful or powerful

done deal
  • Informal
34 3.2

An agreement that cannot be changed

32 2.4

An agreement between companies or people to exchange goods and services for money

30 4.4

A set of government programs in the 1930s in the United States to fight the Great Depression

deal-breaker
  • Informal
30 3.7

A problem that makes someone reject an offer or relationship

28 1.8

A good offer that saves you money when buying

A long time spent doing something

raw deal
  • Informal
13 4.4

Unfair treatment that hurts someone and is not deserved

10 4.7

An agreement to buy or sell weapons between countries

10 2.8

Treatment that is just and equal for everyone

8 4.1

A series of government reforms and programs in the United States from 1933 to 1940 under President Roosevelt

7 3.8

A person who is good at arranging agreements in business or politics

sweetheart deal
  • Literature
7 6.1

An agreement that gives one side unfair advantages because of favoritism or secret deals

3 4.6

A large government program of reforms and public spending based on 1930s United States policies

deal-breaker
  • Informal
3 4.8

Causing an offer or plan to fail

2 3.7

Fair and honest treatment of people in a situation or agreement

compensation deal
  • Specialized
5.5

An agreement to accept goods instead of money as payment for exports

An agreement that is sure not to fail

A secret agreement that is dishonest or illegal

How Organized

to traffic
  • NSFW
7 8.1
to smuggle
  • NSFW
172 3.9
to run
  • NSFW
839 8.6
to deal
  • NSFW
324 3.0
to peddle
46 3.9

Surface Forms

deal infinitive
dealing present participle
deals third person singular
dealt past
dealt past participle

Etymology

To deal (in goods) comes from the same old idea of arranging or giving out parts, from dǣlan 'to divide', and led to the modern sense of trading. That's why a dealer is someone who buys and sells items.