deal.
A division, a portion, a share, a part, a piece.
Meaning & usage
A division, a portion, a share, a part, a piece.
We gave three deals of grain in tribute to the king.
An indefinite quantity or amount; a lot (now usually qualified by great or good).
Where this word comes from
From Middle English del, dele, from Old English dǣl (“part, share, portion”), from Proto-West Germanic *daili, from Proto-Germanic *dailiz (“part, deal”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰ(h₁)-oy-lo- (“part, watershed”). Cognate with Scots dele (“part, portion”), West Frisian diel (“part, share”), Dutch deel (“part, share, portion”), German Teil (“part, portion, section”), Danish, Slovene, and Swedish del (“part”), Icelandic deila (“division, contention”), Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌹𐌻𐍃 (dails, “portion”). Related to Old English dāl (“portion”). More at dole.
To distribute among a number of recipients, to give out as one’s portion or share.
The fighting is over; now we deal out the spoils of victory.
To administer or give out, as in small portions.
To take action with regard to someone or something.
To distribute cards to the players in a game.
I was dealt four aces.
The cards were shuffled, and the croupier dealt.
deliver damage, a blow, strike or cut. To inflict.
To pitch.
The whole crowd waited for him to deal a real humdinger.
To have dealings or business.
To conduct oneself, to behave.
To take action; to act.
To trade professionally (followed by in).
She deals in gold.
To sell, especially to sell illicit drugs.
This club takes a dim view of members who deal drugs.
To be concerned with.
To handle, to manage, to cope.
I can't deal with this.
I don't think he wants to go. — Yeah, well, we're going anyway, and he can deal.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der.? Proto-Germanic *dailiz Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Germanic *-janą Proto-Germanic *dailijaną Old English dǣlan Middle English delen English deal From Middle English delen, from Old English dǣlan (“to divide, part”), from Proto-West Germanic *dailijan, from Proto-Germanic *dailijaną (“to divide, part, deal”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰoh₁-i-l- (“part, watershed”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian diele (“to divide, separate”), Dutch delen, German teilen, Swedish dela; and with Lithuanian dalinti (“divide”), Russian дели́ть (delítʹ).
An act of dealing or sharing out.
The distribution of cards to players; a player's turn for this.
I didn’t have a good deal all evening.
I believe it's your deal.
A particular instance of trading (buying or selling; exchanging; bartering); a transaction.
We need to finalise the deal with Henderson by midnight.
recognizing the societal deal between capital and labor regarding retirement savings
A transaction offered which is financially beneficial; a bargain.
An agreement between parties; an arrangement.
He made a deal with the devil.
I didn't deserve it, but he cut me a deal.
A situation, occasion, or event.
What's the deal here?
Their new movie is the biggest deal of the year.
A thing, an unspecified or unidentified object.
The deal with four tines is called a pitchfork.
A personality trait, especially a negative one, and the underlying cause of it.
What's her deal?
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der.? Proto-Germanic *dailiz Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Germanic *-janą Proto-Germanic *dailijaną Old English dǣlan Middle English delen English deal From Middle English delen, from Old English dǣlan (“to divide, part”), from Proto-West Germanic *dailijan, from Proto-Germanic *dailijaną (“to divide, part, deal”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰoh₁-i-l- (“part, watershed”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian diele (“to divide, separate”), Dutch delen, German teilen, Swedish dela; and with Lithuanian dalinti (“divide”), Russian дели́ть (delítʹ).
Wood that is easy to saw (from conifers such as pine or fir).
A plank of softwood (fir or pine board).
A wooden board or plank, usually between 12 or 14 feet in length, traded as a commodity in shipbuilding.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English dele (“plank”), from Middle Low German dele, from Old Saxon thili, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *þiljǭ (“plank, board”); cognate with Old English þille. Doublet of (dialectal) theal and thill.
Made of deal.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English dele (“plank”), from Middle Low German dele, from Old Saxon thili, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *þiljǭ (“plank, board”); cognate with Old English þille. Doublet of (dialectal) theal and thill.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.