Meaning & use
deal
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Meanings
nouncountable
An arrangement that two or more people or groups agree to, usually setting out what each side will give or receive.
Grammar: Takes a/an and has a plural: they signed a deal, several deals.
Patterns
- a deal with someone
- a deal on something
- a deal to do something
The two companies finally struck a deal after months of talks.
She got a great deal on a used car.
Under the deal, the tenants keep their homes for another five years.
nounsingularinformal
A large quantity or amount of something, used in the phrase a great deal or a good deal.
Grammar: Appears in fixed phrases and is followed by of: a great deal of time.
Patterns
- a great deal of something
- a good deal of something
We spent a great deal of time planning the trip.
He knows a good deal about old clocks.
nounsingular
The way in which someone is treated, especially whether fairly or unfairly.
Grammar: Usually has an adjective before it: a fair deal, a raw deal.
Patterns
- a fair deal
- a raw deal
The workers felt they had been given a raw deal.
Everyone deserves a fair deal when they apply for a loan.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To give out cards to players in a card game.
Grammar: Can take an object (deal the cards) or stand alone (it's your turn to deal).
Patterns
- deal something to someone
- deal someone something
Maria shuffled the deck and dealt seven cards to each player.
It's your turn to deal.
verbintransitive
To buy and sell a particular kind of goods, especially illegal ones.
Grammar: Usually followed by in: he deals in antiques.
Patterns
- deal in something
Her uncle deals in rare books and maps.
The police arrested two men for dealing in stolen goods.
Word forms
| third person singular | deals |
|---|---|
| past tense | dealt |
| past participle | dealt |
| -ing form | dealing |
| plural | deals |
Common combinations
- strike a deal
- The union struck a deal with management late on Friday.
- a done deal
- The merger is not yet a done deal.
- a package deal
- The hotel offers a package deal that includes flights and meals.
- seal the deal
- A handshake sealed the deal.
- a big deal
- Missing one practice is not a big deal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- agreement
- Agreement is the broader word and need not involve buying or selling, whereas deal often suggests each side getting something.
- bargain
- A bargain is something sold at a low price, while a deal is the arrangement itself, which may or may not be cheap.
- transaction
- Transaction is more formal and neutral, describing the act of buying or selling rather than the negotiated terms.
Word family
Commonly confused: deal or dole?
deal vs dole
To dole out means to hand out in small shares, and the dole is unemployment benefit in British English; neither means an agreement.
Practice
After weeks of negotiation, the two airlines finally ___ a deal to share routes.
Choose one answer.
Strike a deal is the natural collocation for reaching an agreement. Make up a deal or give a deal do not work in this sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.