deal with

phrasal 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

Hunt has dealt with controversy and injuries in his career but reemerged a solid back in 2024. —Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025

Parker Posey had an interesting way of dealing with the intense heat while filming The White Lotus season 3 in Thailand. —Becca Longmire, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025

Democrats have been struggling in how to deal with the dizzying flood of unilateral actions coming from Donald Trump these past 54 days, but tonight’s midnight deadline to keep the federal government operating will force them to take a stand. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2025

The movie is then very much about how all of these characters deal with that complication. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2025