deal with

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

Part of the reason may be that San Diego housing officials got an early and public start on dealing with their own growing budget shortfall and expected cuts in city, state and federal funding. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026

Is this a man who has done some kind of deal with the devil? —Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026

Philadelphia needed an edge rusher, especially after Jaelen Phillips inked a massive free-agent deal with the Carolina Panthers. —Alec Lewis, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026

The right-hander, who signed a two-year, $22 million deal with a club option for 2028 in the offseason, has had a brutal start to his tenure with San Francisco (11-15). —Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026