wheeler-dealer

noun

wheel·​er-deal·​er ˌ(h)wē-lər-ˈdē-lər 

variants also wheeler and dealer

: a shrewd operator especially in business or politics

Examples of wheeler-dealer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s the punch line of an old joke about a wheeler-dealer offering something attractive — on the condition the offeree sell their soul to the devil. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 May 2026

Bordeaux’s rise was fuelled by Claude Bez, a wheeler-dealer who ran an accounting firm. — Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026

His father was a wheeler-dealer who lived by quick wits and the sweat of his brow, dabbling in bootlegged sake, swine farming, loan sharking, and later pachinko parlors—Japan’s ubiquitous low-stakes gambling game of clattering steel ball bearings. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 24 Feb. 2026

Foremost, general manager John Schneider, 54, showed he’s evolved into a top-tier talent man and wheeler-dealer. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1954, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for wheeler-dealer

• dealer
• feeler
• healer
• keeler
• peeler
• sealer
• stealer
• repealer
• revealer