to deal out
- phrasal verb
- /diːl aʊt/
- I nodded and she dealt out the cards.
- dealt out the cards
- deal out punishment
- dealt out a hand
Examples
-
He begins to deal out some solitaire, then senses something and looks toward the door.
Fiction book (1993) -
I asked eagerly while dealing out the deck of cards.
Fiction book (1993) -
You were gonna deal us out.
-
Sort us out or deal us out?
-
Well, good luck, Charlie, and you deal me out.
-
So, gentlemen, deal me out
-
From now on, I'll deal out the cards, you say "gin" whenever you feel like it.
-
She deals out six hands in a circle on the ground.
Fiction book (1992) -
I put a chip in the circle inscribed on the felt in front of me, and the dealer dealt out two cards to each of us.
Fiction book (1994) -
At the start of the game, make sure to deal out five cards to each player.
Synonyms
To give out cards or other things to people
To give something to people in a group
To hand things to several people
Give something like medicine or a test, often in a formal way
Give things to several people or places
To give things to people in a group, like papers or drinks
To give small amounts of something to several people over time
To give a part of something to someone for a specific use
Hand something to each person in a group
To give out things to several people, often food or advice
To give medicine or other things to people at a pharmacy
Share things or money between several people
Give a copy of something to each person in a group, for example by email
To give out punishment or justice to someone in a controlled way
To divide something into parts and give each part to different people
To give each player a set of cards in a card game
To divide something into parts and give each part to different people
Antonyms
How Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'deal' already means to hand out or apportion, and the particle 'out' simply emphasizes distribution to recipients; the combined sense 'to give or distribute (e.g., cards)' is directly derivable from the constituents. This compositional pattern is common in English (and mirrored in many other languages), so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Deal out comes from card games: the person who dealt would pass cards out to each player. That's why the phrase now means 'to give out' or 'to share' things with people.