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Meaning & use

drug dealer

noun·Everydaydisapproving

Last updated

UK/ˈdrʌɡ ˌdiːlə/
US/ˈdrʌɡ ˌdiːlər/
Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.

Meaning

  1. nouncountabledisapproving

    A person who sells illegal drugs.

    Grammar: Countable: a drug dealer.

    Patterns

    • a street drug dealer

    The police arrested a drug dealer outside the school.

    He became a drug dealer after losing his job.

    Neighbors reported the drug dealer to the authorities.

Common combinations

arrest a drug dealer
Officers arrested a known drug dealer.
street drug dealer
A street drug dealer was seen in the park.
convicted drug dealer
The convicted drug dealer got ten years.
small-time drug dealer
He was only a small-time drug dealer.
notorious drug dealer
The notorious drug dealer escaped.

Synonyms and how they differ

pusher
Informal and slangy, with a more negative tone.
trafficker
Suggests large-scale smuggling and transport.
supplier
Neutral, someone who provides goods.
peddler
Someone selling small items, often illegally.

Word family

drug dealing noun
selling drugs
deal verb
to trade drugs
dealer noun
a seller

Commonly confused: drug dealer or pharmacist?

drug dealer vs pharmacist

A pharmacist legally prepares and sells medicine.

Practice

Which word is closest in meaning to drug dealer?

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