deal
deal
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "deal" is /diːl/.
/diːl/ - The single syllable contains the "d" sound, the long "ee" sound, and the "l" sound.
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: deal
Plural Noun: deals
Base Verb: deal
Third Person Singular Present Verb: deals
Present Participle (Verb): dealing
Past Simple Verb: dealt
Past Participle Verb: dealt
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A commercial transaction or agreement, especially a secret or underhand one.
Example: "They shook hands on the deal, finalizing the sale of the property."
Synonyms: agreement, transaction, bargain, pact, negotiation
Antonyms: disagreement, dispute, rupture, breakdown
A significant amount, extent, or degree of something.
Example: "She showed a great deal of courage during the crisis."
Synonyms: amount, quantity, extent, lot, measure
Antonyms: little, small amount, trifle, speck
The act of distributing cards to players in a card game.
Example: "It's your turn to make the deal."
Synonyms: distribution, hand, round, turn
Antonyms: collection, gathering (less common for card games)
Verb
To distribute (cards) to players in a game.
Example: "The dealer began to deal the cards."
Synonyms: distribute, dispense, dole out, hand out, dish out
Antonyms: collect, gather, take back
To do business with someone or something; to trade or transact.
Example: "We have been dealing with that supplier for years."
Synonyms: trade, do business, negotiate, bargain, transact
Antonyms: avoid, shun, ignore, refrain
To cope or contend with; to handle or manage a situation or problem.
Example: "She's learning how to deal with stress more effectively."
Synonyms: handle, manage, cope, contend, address, tackle
Antonyms: avoid, ignore, neglect, surrender, succumb
To give out or administer (a blow, punishment, or effect).
Example: "The boxer dealt a powerful blow to his opponent."
Synonyms: administer, deliver, inflict, apply, dispense
Antonyms: receive, suffer, endure, withhold
To concern oneself with; to be about (a subject).
Example: "The lecture dealt with the history of ancient Rome."
Synonyms: concern, be about, cover, treat, discuss, address
Antonyms: disregard, overlook, ignore, omit
Examples of Use
Books
"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald uses "deal" in its noun form to refer to a transaction or arrangement, often hinting at the illicit. For example, characters might discuss "a big deal" or "a shady deal" related to their business dealings.
In "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, "deal" can be found in the context of characters trying to "deal with" difficult situations or emotions, highlighting their struggles and resilience.
Newspapers
"The government is working on a new trade deal with its European counterparts to boost exports." (The Guardian)
"Analysts are closely watching the real estate market to see how developers will deal with rising interest rates." (The Wall Street Journal)
Online Publications
"Tech giant announces multi-billion dollar acquisition deal to expand its cloud computing services." (TechCrunch)
"How to Deal with Online Harassment: A Guide for Digital Citizens." (Mozilla Blog)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms
Film: In the movie The Godfather, Michael Corleone frequently discusses "deals" related to the family's business, emphasizing the negotiations and agreements central to the plot.
Television Series: On the show Shark Tank, entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to investors, hoping to "make a deal" for funding and partnership.
Music: The song "Deals" by The Lumineers, for example, uses the word in its lyrical context to represent life's give-and-take, and the compromises people make.
Video Games: In games like Grand Theft Auto V, players often engage in various "deals" – from drug exchanges to property acquisitions – to progress in the game's criminal underworld.
Podcasts: A business podcast might feature an episode titled "Sealing the Deal: Mastering Negotiation Tactics," discussing the art of closing an agreement.
General Public Discourse
"I got a really good deal on these shoes during the sale." (Casual conversation)
"It's a big deal that they managed to finish the project on time." (Expressing importance)
"How do you deal with all the noise in the city?" (Asking about coping mechanisms)
"Let's make a deal: I'll help you with your homework if you help me with mine." (Proposing an agreement)
"He's a difficult person to deal with." (Referring to a person's temperament)
10 Quotes Using Deal
"You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too. That's a part of it." (Denzel Washington)
"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion." (Albert Camus)
"Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her; but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game." (Voltaire)
"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." (J. K. Rowling)
"If you don't deal with your demons, they will deal with you, and it's gonna hurt." (Nikki Sixx)
"Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do." (Wendell Berry)
"I've been making deals all my life." (Donald Trump)
"Business is not just doing deals; business is having great products, doing great engineering, and providing tremendous service to customers." (Ross Perot)
"People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?" (Thich Nhat Hanh)
"If you can keep your head when all about you / Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, / If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, / But make allowance for their doubting too; / Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, / Or being hated, don't give way to hating, / And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise." (Rudyard Kipling, from "If—")
Etymology
The word "deal" has a long history and comes from ancient Germanic roots.
Its earliest known use, both as a noun and a verb, dates back to the Old English period (before 1150).
As a noun, its original meaning was "a part or portion" or "a share of a whole." Think of it like a "piece" or "segment" of something. Over time, this evolved to mean "an extent, degree, quantity, or amount" when paired with words like "great" or "good" (e.g., "a great deal of effort"). The business sense of "transaction" or "bargain" (like "making a deal") came much later, around the 1830s, likely from the idea of an "arrangement for mutual advantage" where people get their "share."
As a verb, "deal" originally meant "to divide, distribute, or separate." So, if you were "dealing" something, you were essentially splitting it up and giving out portions. This led to the meaning of "to share with others, bestow, or dispense." The specific use of "dealing" cards in a game to distribute them to players became common around the 1520s. The sense of "to handle, cope with, or act toward" (like "dealing with a problem") developed from the idea of "engaging in mutual interaction" or "having to do with."
It's interesting to note that there's also a separate, less common origin for "deal" as a noun, referring to a "plank or board," especially of fir or pine wood. This comes from Middle Low German and is related to the word "thill" (a shaft or pole). However, this "deal" is distinct from the more common uses we've discussed.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Deal
A raw deal: An unfair or harsh treatment.
Big deal!: An expression used to indicate that something is not as important or impressive as someone is making it out to be.
Cut a deal: To make an agreement or arrangement, often involving compromise.
Deal with it: An imperative telling someone to accept and cope with a difficult situation.
Done deal: An agreement or transaction that is finalized and cannot be changed.
It's a deal: An expression of agreement, confirming an arrangement.
No big deal: Something that is not important or problematic.
To deal in something: To buy and sell a particular commodity or product.
To make a big deal out of something: To exaggerate the importance or difficulty of something.
To deal a blow: To inflict damage or cause a setback.
What's the deal?: An informal question asking for an explanation of a situation or problem.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of deal from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
