: given to or marked by duplicity
: one who practices double-dealing
Examples of double-dealing in a Sentence
Noun (1)
a go-between suspected of double-dealing
Adjective
double-dealing business practices that are being investigated by the state's attorney general
the double-dealing salesman never told me that the car had been in an accident and repaired
the double-dealing team owners were pitting the two cities against one another, both of whom badly wanted the franchise
Recent Examples on the Web
Martha Ross, Mercury News, 28 May 2026
But that rhetoric sounded hollow in the face of its dalliance with a drug-smuggling double-dealing despot like Noriega.
—Time, 25 Nov. 2025
Making his Broadway debut, Burr is a cyclone as the fast-talking, double-dealing Dave Moss, who springs a plan to steal the leads on his unwilling accomplice, George Aaronow (McKean, drolly exasperated).
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025
Mullen's righthand man, Roger Carlson (Jesse Plemons), was double-dealing with billionaire Robert Lyndon (Clark Gregg), who ultimately ordered a hit on him in Episode 4.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2025
Through his double-dealing with the government, Carmine Falcone was Gotham’s top crime boss for over two decades, accruing massive wealth, political influence, and an elite status.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2024
Far from being some dastardly act of espionage and double-dealing, Cartwright made his fateful choice out of love.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
While the Biden Administration seems to perceive Cambodia as an amenable partner, Manet is double-dealing Beijing and Washington.
—Sam Rainsy, TIME, 24 June 2024
Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2026
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Noun
For some of King’s followers, her double-dealing also is difficult to let go.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 28 May 2026
But that rhetoric sounded hollow in the face of its dalliance with a drug-smuggling double-dealing despot like Noriega.
—Time, 25 Nov. 2025
Making his Broadway debut, Burr is a cyclone as the fast-talking, double-dealing Dave Moss, who springs a plan to steal the leads on his unwilling accomplice, George Aaronow (McKean, drolly exasperated).
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025
Mullen's righthand man, Roger Carlson (Jesse Plemons), was double-dealing with billionaire Robert Lyndon (Clark Gregg), who ultimately ordered a hit on him in Episode 4.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2025
Through his double-dealing with the government, Carmine Falcone was Gotham’s top crime boss for over two decades, accruing massive wealth, political influence, and an elite status.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2024
Far from being some dastardly act of espionage and double-dealing, Cartwright made his fateful choice out of love.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
While the Biden Administration seems to perceive Cambodia as an amenable partner, Manet is double-dealing Beijing and Washington.
—Sam Rainsy, TIME, 24 June 2024
Adjective
The notion of reputational damage is alien to someone whose image was long ago tarnished beyond repair by grifting, lying, bullying, and double-dealing.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Double-dealing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/double-dealing. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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