deals
deals — noun
- dealssingular
- dealsesplural
1. a formal agreement between two people or groups, especially in business, that st
a formal agreement between two people or groups, especially in business, that states what each side will do, give, or receive.
The two companies signed a deal to share new technology.
collocation: sign a deal / reach a deal / make a deal
After weeks of talks, both sides finally reached a deal on trade.
Mei-Lin got a great deal on a used car at the weekend market.
The peace deal brought an end to years of conflict.
"It's a deal!" said Folake, shaking hands with the seller.
- agreement
broader than deal; can be formal or informal, and not limited to business
- arrangement
less formal than deal; can cover personal plans as well as business
- contract
more formal and legally binding than a typical deal
- bargain
emphasises a favourable price or exchange
用法筆記
Very frequent in business journalism and negotiations. Common verbs used with this sense include make, reach, sign, close, and strike.
常見錯誤
2. a large quantity or degree of something, usually used in the fixed phrases 'a de
a large quantity or degree of something, usually used in the fixed phrases 'a deal of', 'a great deal of', or 'a good deal of'.
A great deal of time and effort went into this project.
pattern: a great deal of + uncountable noun
Sayaka spent a good deal of money on her new apartment.
There is still a great deal we do not know about the ocean.
Moving the office required a great deal of careful planning.
Antonia has a great deal of experience working with children.
- a lot
more informal and can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns
- plenty
emphasises sufficiency rather than large quantity
- a large amount
more literal and formal; works in any register
- a little
opposite end of the quantity scale
用法筆記
Always appears in the singular with a determiner. 'A great deal of' is more common than 'a good deal of'. Both are used with uncountable nouns, not plural count nouns (not *'a great deal of people').
常見錯誤
3. the act of giving out playing cards to each player at the beginning of a round i
the act of giving out playing cards to each player at the beginning of a round in a card game.
It is your turn to take the deal, Minho.
collocation: take the deal = be the dealer
After the deal, Hannah looked at her cards and smiled.
The deal went quickly because everyone knew the rules.
In poker, the deal moves clockwise around the table.
Nia waited patiently for the deal to finish before picking up her hand.
用法筆記
Often used with the definite article: 'the deal'. The question 'Whose deal is it?' means 'Who should distribute the cards?'
4. pale, soft timber cut from pine or fir trees, commonly chosen by builders for fu
pale, soft timber cut from pine or fir trees, commonly chosen by builders for furniture, shelves, and floorboards.
The shelves were made of light-coloured deal from a local forest.
collocation: deal + furniture (table, floorboards, shelves)
Arjun chose a deal table because it was cheap and easy to move.
Deal wood is popular for making simple garden furniture.
The old cottage had beautiful deal floorboards from the 1920s.
The carpenter recommended deal for the bookshelves because it is light.
用法筆記
This sense is almost exclusively used in British English. In American English, 'pine' or 'fir' is preferred. Uncountable — you cannot say 'a deal' to mean a piece of this wood.
常見錯誤
5. the way a person or group is treated by someone, especially when this is seen as
the way a person or group is treated by someone, especially when this is seen as fair or unfair.
The workers felt they got a fair deal from the new contract.
collocation: get a fair / rough / bad / raw deal
Campaigners said the prisoners received a rough deal at the trial.
Putri hoped the new law would give families a better deal.
Small businesses often get a bad deal from big suppliers.
After the accident, Maja felt she got a raw deal from the insurance company.
用法筆記
Almost always appears with a describing adjective before 'deal'. The most common patterns are 'get/have/receive a [adjective] deal'.
deals — verb
- dealspresent simple I / you / we / they
- dealses3rd person singular
- dealsing-ing form
- dealsedpast simple
1. to buy and sell goods or services as a regular business activity, or to trade wi
to buy and sell goods or services as a regular business activity, or to trade with a particular person or company.
The company deals mainly in Asian art and antiques.
grammar: deal in [product type]
Selim's family has been dealing in handmade carpets for three generations.
The shop deals only in organic produce from local farms.
Quinn deals in rare books from a small shop in Kyoto.
We decided not to deal with that supplier after the delivery problems.
文法句型
deal in [goods/services]
deal with [person/company]
用法筆記
Intransitive only — you cannot say 'The company deals cars'. The preposition 'in' introduces the commodity; 'with' introduces the business partner.
常見錯誤
2. to give out playing cards to each player at the start of a round in a card game.
to give out playing cards to each player at the start of a round in a card game.
"Who wants to deal the cards tonight?" asked Eitan.
transitive: deal the cards
Maja dealt four cards to each player at the table.
pattern: deal + number + cards + to + player
The woman who ran the game dealt the cards quickly and with great skill.
Each player gets five cards when you deal in this game.
Minho dealt the last card face up on the table.
- distribute
more formal and general; not specific to card games
- hand out
informal but not specific to cards
文法句型
deal + [cards] + to + [player]
deal + [player] + [cards]
用法筆記
Can be used transitively ('deal the cards') or intransitively ('It's your turn to deal'). The person who deals is called 'the dealer'.
常見錯誤
3. to hit a plan, hope, or situation with a damaging effect that makes it fail or b
to hit a plan, hope, or situation with a damaging effect that makes it fail or become much worse.
The bad news dealt a heavy blow to the team's hopes of winning.
pattern: deal a blow to [someone's hopes/plans]
The factory closure dealt a serious blow to the local economy.
His confidence was dealt a severe blow by the exam results.
The storm dealt a damaging blow to the village's crops.
The loss of the contract dealt a huge blow to the small company.
- strike
more direct; can be physical ('strike someone') as well as metaphorical
文法句型
deal + a blow + to + [someone/something]
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively in the fixed expression 'deal a blow to'. The subject is typically an event or piece of news, not a person. Frequently used in passive form: 'was dealt a blow'.
常見錯誤
4. to take action to solve a problem, manage a difficult situation, or handle a par
to take action to solve a problem, manage a difficult situation, or handle a particular topic or person.
Arjun had to deal with a difficult customer at work today.
grammar: deal with + person (handle interaction)
The government is trying to deal with the problem of rising prices.
How do you deal with stress when you have exams at school?
The second chapter of the book deals with the history of modern Japan.
Eitan dealt with the customer complaint quickly and politely.
- ignore
deliberately not dealing with something
文法句型
deal with + [problem/person/topic]
用法筆記
Always used with 'with' when the object is stated. 'Deal' alone (without 'with') cannot be used transitively in this sense. The passive form 'be dealt with' is common: 'The matter has been dealt with.'