deal with

phrasal verb

dealt with; dealing with; deals with

: 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.

: to make business agreements with (someone)

He deals fairly with all his customers.

Their salespeople are very easy to deal with.

: 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.

: 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 His generation was still learning to deal with anger and pain. —

Michael S. Williamson, Washington Post, 22 June 2024 Autos: Car dealers nationwide are dealing with the fallout from a cyberattack this week that's said to have forced at least some of them to shift to paper sales records. —

Diamy Wang, Detroit Free Press, 22 June 2024 Some people deal with the anxiety of the election by checking out of politics altogether. —

John Blake, CNN, 22 June 2024 The series, inspired by his own life, stars Gadd as Donny Dunn, a struggling comedian working as a bartender who is forced to unpack his unsettling trauma while dealing with a female stalker, Martha (Jessica Gunning). —

Katie Campione, Deadline, 21 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for deal with

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deal with.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.