dealmaker

noun

deal·​mak·​er ˈdēl-ˌmā-kər 

plural dealmakers

: someone who is given to or skilled in negotiating deals or agreements : one who makes deals

Her reputation as a hard-driving dealmaker was known to heads of state and corporate CEOs all over the world.

—Johnnie L. Roberts et al.

He's a dealmaker, a power broker, a convener of interests—in short, the living definition of the career politician …

—Douglas Foster

Examples of dealmaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Vestar was born in 1988 during private equity’s first boom, the same year a brash NYC firm known as Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts took down mighty RJR Nabisco for $25 billion ($70 billion in today’s terms), back when deals were called LBOs and dealmakers were known as corporate raiders. —Hank Tucker, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

This is the web version of Term Sheet, a daily newsletter on the biggest deals and dealmakers in venture capital and private equity. —Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026

The senatorial careers of these two statesmen illustrate — and clarify — the distinct contributions of intellectuals, purists and thought leaders on one hand and pragmatists, consensus builders and dealmakers on the other. —John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026

This approach appeals to Trump’s self-image as a dealmaker and to his tendency to think about political power in terms of individual news cycles. —Yuval Levin, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dealmaker

• blackacre
• caretaker
• clockmaker
• dressmaker
• filmmaker
• homemaker
• icebreaker
• lawmaker
• matchmaker
• pacemaker
• partaker
• peacemaker