Words / B1

DEEL-uh/ˈdiːlə/

A dealer buys and sells: a car dealer; an art dealer; a drug dealer. Trader is close in finance; seller is everyday. Deal is already in the dictionary as the wider verb/noun. Do not call a shop assistant a dealer. Crime news uses dealer for illegal drugs without extra explanation.

Meaning

A person or firm that buys and sells things, often cars or illegal drugs.

Examples

• “The car dealer offered a twelve-month warranty.”
• “Police arrested a dealer after the county-lines inquiry.”

Good to know

a car / art / drug dealer. Finance twin: trader. Everyday: seller. Related: deal. Not a till worker. Crime: drug dealer.

Near in meaning

trader

New