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

Trump has so far announced just one official agreement with the United Kingdom as well as frameworks for deals with China and Vietnam. —Steff Danielle Thomas, The Hill, 12 July 2025

Maybe a healthier option than Hernández, who is not 100 percent and dealing with a bruised left foot on top of it, makes that catch and saves those runs. —Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 12 July 2025

Humanity has been dealing with nefarious arch-villains, fire-breathing kaiju and world-ending cataclysms caused by forces beyond human comprehension for centuries. —Adam B. Vary, Variety, 12 July 2025

Meanwhile, much of the Upper Midwest on Saturday was dealing with swaths of unhealthy air because of drifting smoke from Canadian wildfire. —CBS News, 12 July 2025