deal with

phrasal verb·2 senses·particle with

Usefulness

Meanings

1

Take action to solve or manage a problem

Handling Difficulty

Why “with”? A person faces a task or difficult situation and tries to manage it.

“The manager dealt with the complaint quickly.”
The manager took action on the complaint quickly.
“I need to deal with this leak today.”
I need to take action to solve this leak today.
2

Have a particular subject as the main topic

Subject

Why “with”? The content of a book, lesson, or report is connected to one subject.

“The book deals with climate change.”
The book has climate change as its main topic.
“Today's lesson deals with online safety.”
Today's lesson has online safety as its main topic.

Test yourself

“The manager dealt with the complaint quickly.” What does it mean?

Nearby in the meaning map

Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.

cope with

Same with pattern: handling difficulty

Manage a difficult situation successfully enough

struggle with

Same with pattern: handling difficulty

Find something difficult to do or understand

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