deal with

British  

verb

1. to take action on

   to deal with each problem in turn

2. to punish

   the headmaster will deal with the culprit

3. to be concerned with

   the book deals with Dutch art

4. to conduct oneself (towards others), esp with regard to fairness

   he can be relied on to deal fairly with everyone

5. to do business with

   the firm deals with many overseas suppliers

---

deal with Idioms  

1. See deal in , def. 1.

2. Do business with someone, as in I like dealing with this company . [Late 1600s] Also see deal in , def. 2.

3. Take action in, handle, administer, dispose of, as in The committee will deal with this matter . [Second half of 1400s]

4. Act in a specified way toward someone, as in He dealt extremely fairly with his competitors . [c. 1300]

---

Example Sentences

Earlier Thursday, Carney struck a deal with British Columbia, in which Ottawa pledged billions in projects and reaffirmed its ban on oil-tanker traffic off the north coast.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026

"It's a problem we're trying to deal with at a local level. We've been working with residents and other agencies to address the issue," he said.

From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026

In other words, the market found ways to deal with shipping disruptions in the strait during the war.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026

Well, the movement to change society so it stops heating up the world didn’t take, so now we need to figure out how to change society to deal with a hotter planet.

From Slate • Jul. 2, 2026

I only have the energy to deal with one family at a time.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller