What does "deal" mean?
A division, a portion, a share, a part, a piece.
Deal
/diːl/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A division, a portion, a share, a part, a piece.
- Grammar: deal is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bargain, trade, abatement of differences, accommodation.
- Useful contrasts: Refused, Rejected, avoid.
- Usage evidence: As for the air, there is always some moisture in the atmosphere, but when the amount increases a great deal, it affects the light waves.
How to use "deal"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "deal" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "deal" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "deal" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "deal" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "deal" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bargain" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "deal", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A division, a portion, a share, a part, a piece. obsolete
"We gave three deals of grain in tribute to the king."
- 2 An act of dealing or sharing out. archaic, broadly
- 3 Wood that is easy to saw (from conifers such as pine or fir). uncountable
"1722, Daniel Defoe, A Journal of the Plague Year, London: E. Nutt et al., p. 86, Some Houses were […] entirely lock’d up, the Doors padlockt, the Windows and Doors having Deal Boards nail’d over them,"
- 4 the act of apportioning or distributing something wordnet
- 5 An indefinite quantity or amount; a lot (now usually qualified by great or good). often
"There is a vast deal of difference in memories, as well as in every thing else, and therefore you should make allowance for your cousin, and pity her deficiency."
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 The distribution of cards to players; a player's turn for this.
"I didn’t have a good deal all evening."
- 7 A plank of softwood (fir or pine board). countable
- 8 the act of distributing playing cards wordnet
- 9 A particular instance of trading (buying or selling; exchanging; bartering); a transaction.
"We need to finalise the deal with Henderson by midnight."
- 10 A wooden board or plank, usually between 12 or 14 feet in length, traded as a commodity in shipbuilding. archaic, countable
"It shall not be lawful for any person to land any timber, planks or board, deals, staves, tar, pitch, turpentine, rozin or other the commodities aforesaid, on any part of the present quays within the city of Bristol, from any vessel coming into the said port..."
- 11 a particular instance of buying or selling wordnet
- 12 A transaction offered which is financially beneficial; a bargain.
"You also have to look at the kind of mortgage deals available to you and whether you will be able to trade up to the kind of property you are looking for."
- 13 an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each wordnet
- 14 An agreement between parties; an arrangement.
"California lawmakers, their state broke and its credit rating shot, finally sealed the deal with the governor Monday night on a plan to close a $26 billion budget gap."
- 15 the type of treatment received (especially as the result of an agreement) wordnet
- 16 A situation, occasion, or event. informal
"What's the deal here?"
- 17 the cards held in a card game by a given player at any given time wordnet
- 18 A thing, an unspecified or unidentified object. informal
"The deal with four tines is called a pitchfork."
- 19 (often followed by ‘of’) a large number or amount or extent wordnet
- 20 A personality trait, especially a negative one, and the underlying cause of it. slang
"What's her deal?"
- 21 wood that is easy to saw (from conifers such as pine or fir) wordnet
- 22 a plank of softwood (fir or pine board) wordnet
Verb
- 1 To distribute among a number of recipients, to give out as one’s portion or share. transitive
"The fighting is over; now we deal out the spoils of victory."
- 2 take into consideration for exemplifying purposes wordnet
- 3 To administer or give out, as in small portions. transitive
""Away, proud woman!" said the Lady; "who ever knew so well as thou to deal the deepest wounds under the pretence of kindness and courtesy?""
- 4 act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression wordnet
- 5 To take action with regard to someone or something. transitive
Show 21 more definitions
- 6 do business; offer for sale as for one's livelihood wordnet
- 7 To distribute cards to the players in a game. ambitransitive
"I was dealt four aces."
- 8 sell (especially of illegal material) wordnet
- 9 deliver damage, a blow, strike or cut. To inflict. transitive
"The boxer was dealt a blow to the head."
- 10 distribute cards to the players in a game wordnet
- 11 To pitch.
"The whole crowd waited for him to deal a real humdinger."
- 12 give (a specific card) to a player wordnet
- 13 To have dealings or business. intransitive
"Mr. Brownlow contrived to state his case; observing that, in the surprise of the moment, he had run after the boy because he saw him running away; and expressing his hope that, if the magistrate should believe him, although not actually the thief, to be connected with thieves; he would deal as leniently with him as justice would allow."
- 14 give out as one's portion or share wordnet
- 15 To conduct oneself, to behave. intransitive
"In Deheubarth that now South-wales is hight, / What time king Ryence raign'd, and dealed right [...]."
- 16 administer or bestow, as in small portions wordnet
- 17 To take action; to act. intransitive, obsolete
"Wel said syr Uwayne go on your waye, and lete me dele."
- 18 take action with respect to (someone or something) wordnet
- 19 To trade professionally (followed by in). intransitive
"She deals in gold."
- 20 behave in a certain way towards others wordnet
- 21 To sell, especially to sell illicit drugs. ambitransitive
"This club takes a dim view of members who deal drugs."
- 22 be in charge of, act on, or dispose of wordnet
- 23 To be concerned with. intransitive
"Science, it cannot be too often repeated, deals with tangible phenomena."
- 24 direct the course of; manage or control wordnet
- 25 To handle, to manage, to cope. intransitive
"Then there was the sound of a struggle, and I knew that the attendants were dealing with him."
- 26 succeed in doing, achieving, or producing (something) with the limited or inadequate means available wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Made of deal. not-comparable
"A plain deal table"
Proper Noun
- 1 A coastal town and civil parish with a town council in Dover district, Kent, England (OS grid ref TR3752).
- 2 A borough on the Jersey Shore, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, named after the Kentish town.
- 3 An unincorporated community near Meyersdale, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States.
- 4 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"As for the air, there is always some moisture in the atmosphere, but when the amount increases a great deal, it affects the light waves."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "deal"?
Common synonyms include: bargain, trade, abatement of differences, accommodation, accord, act.
How do you use "deal" in a sentence?
As for the air, there is always some moisture in the atmosphere, but when the amount increases a great deal, it affects the light waves.
How do you pronounce "deal"?
Pronounced /diːl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English del, dele, from Old English dǣl (“part, share, portion”), from Proto-West Germanic *daili, from Proto-Germanic *dailiz (“part, deal”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰ(h₁)-oy-lo- (“part, watershed”). Cognate with Scots dele (“part, portion”), West Frisian diel (“part, share”), Dutch deel (“part, share, portion”), German Teil (“part, portion, section”), Danish, Slovene, and Swedish del (“part”), Icelandic deila (“division, contention”), Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌹𐌻𐍃 (dails, “portion”). Related to Old English dāl (“portion”). More at dole.
Etymology 2
From Middle English delen, from Old English dǣlan (“to divide, part”), from Proto-West Germanic *dailijan, from Proto-Germanic *dailijaną (“to divide, part, deal”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰail- (“part, watershed”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian diele (“to divide, separate”), Dutch delen, German teilen, Swedish dela; and with Lithuanian dalinti (“divide”), Russian дели́ть (delítʹ).
Etymology 3
From Middle English dele (“plank”), from Middle Low German dele, from Old Saxon thili, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *þiljǭ (“plank, board”); cognate with Old English þille. Doublet of thill.
Etymology 4
From Old English dael (“valley”), corresponding to modern dale.