Meaning & use
a dealership
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Meanings
nouncountable
a business that sells a particular company's products, especially cars, to the public
Grammar: Countable: a dealership, two dealerships, the dealership on Main Street.
Patterns
- a car dealership
- a dealership for something
- work at a dealership
She bought her new car at a dealership outside the city.
The dealership is offering low-interest loans this month.
He has worked at a car dealership for ten years.
nouncountablebusiness
the right or agreement to sell a company's goods in a particular area
Grammar: Often used in business contexts: 'hold a dealership', 'grant a dealership'.
Patterns
- hold a dealership
- grant a dealership
- a dealership agreement
The company granted him a dealership for the whole region.
They lost their dealership when sales fell.
Word forms
| plural | dealerships |
|---|
Common combinations
- car dealership
- There is a big car dealership on the highway.
- local dealership
- Our local dealership has a good repair shop.
- visit a dealership
- We visited three dealerships before choosing a car.
- dealership owner
- The dealership owner gave us a discount.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: a dealership or dealership vs. dealer?
a dealership vs dealership vs. dealer
A dealership is the business or shop; a dealer is the person or company that sells. You visit a dealership, but you talk to a dealer.
Practice
We bought our new truck at a ______ near the airport.
Choose one answer.
'Dealership' is the place or business where cars are sold. 'Dealer' means a person or company, so 'at a dealer' is less natural for a location; 'dealing' and 'deal' do not fit the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a dealership”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.