deal with

phrasal verb

dealt with; dealing with; deals with

1

: to be about (something) : to have (something) as a subject

Her speech dealt with health care and the nation's economy.

The film deals with some serious issues.

2

: to make business agreements with (someone)

He deals fairly with all his customers.

Their salespeople are very easy to deal with.

3

: to do something about (a person or thing that causes a problem or difficult situation)

The government dealt harshly with the rebels.

I'll deal with you later.

We weren't able/equipped/prepared to deal with such a large crowd of people.

4

: to accept or try to accept (something that is true and cannot be changed)

She's still trying to deal with his death.

The weather is bad, but we'll just have to deal with it.

Examples of deal with in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Flueger, who has portrayed Adam Ruzek since the series premiered in 2014, is taking the time to deal with a personal matter and plans to return later this season, Entertainment Weekly has learned. —Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025

How to deal with tailgaters If someone’s tailgating you, don’t feed into it or make things worse, Casey said. —Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2025

Bleacher Report's Erik Beaston recently predicted Bregman would betray the Red Sox and bolt for a deal with the Detroit Tigers this winter. —Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025

Among them are older men who have serious medical conditions that the shelter is trying to treat — the first time the shelter has to deal with several of these kinds of cases. —Syra Ortiz-Blanes, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025