v., dealt (dĕlt), deal·ing, deals. v.tr.
- To give out as a share or portion; apportion.
- To distribute among several recipients. See synonyms at distribute.
- To sell: deal prescriptions; deal cocaine.
- To administer; deliver: dealt him a blow to the stomach.
- Games.
- To distribute (playing cards) among players.
- To give (a specific card) to a player while so distributing.
- To be occupied or concerned: a book that deals with the Middle Ages.
- To behave in a specified way toward another or others; have transactions: deal honestly with competitors.
- To take action with respect to someone or something: The committee will deal with this complaint. See synonyms at treat.
- To do business; trade: dealing in diamonds.
- Games. To distribute playing cards.
- Slang. To buy and sell drugs, especially illegally.
- Slang. To cope: You've got no choice-just deal with it!
- The act or a round of apportioning or distributing.
- Games.
- Distribution of playing cards.
- The cards so distributed; a hand.
- The right or turn of a player to distribute the cards.
- The playing of one hand.
- An indefinite quantity, extent, or degree: has a great deal of experience.
- An agreement often arranged secretly, as in business or politics.
- A business transaction.
- An agreement, especially one that is mutually beneficial. See synonyms at bargain.
- Informal. A sale favorable especially to the buyer; a bargain.
- Informal. Treatment received: a raw deal; a fair deal.
[Middle English delen, from Old English dǣlan, to divide, share.]
deal2 (dēl)
n.
- A fir or pine board cut to standard dimensions.
- Such boards or planks considered as a group.
- Fir or pine wood.
[Middle English dele, from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German dele, plank.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
