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

The question is how Trump will deal with not having an obvious next act for the first time in his political career and how that affects the incentives of those who plan to stick around once he is gone from the White House, presumably for good. —W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 18 Nov. 2025

The other two models deal with people already in jail — generally allowing jails to hold inmates for 72 hours beyond the time state law requires they be released, to give ICE time to pick them up. —Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 18 Nov. 2025

The show started with a clip of lineman Solomon Thomas talking about dealing with grief, and the studio crew, made up of host Scott Van Pelt and former players Ryan Clark, Jason Kelce and Marcus Spears, responded to Thomas’ comments. —Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Nov. 2025

On Monday, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly predicted that the Dodgers would sign Padres two-time All-Star closer Robert Suarez to a two-year, $26 million deal with a $14 million club option for 2028. —Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Nov. 2025