From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdeal with somebody/something phrasal verb1 DEAL WITHto take the necessary action, especially in order to solve a problem SYN handle a strategy for dealing with disruptive pupils Don’t worry, I’ll deal with this.deal with a problem/issue/matter etc The council has failed to deal with the problem of homelessness in the city.deal effectively/adequately etc with something They should deal properly and fairly with any complaint.2 ABOUTif a book, speech etc deals with a particular subject, it is about that subject These ideas are dealt with more fully in Chapter Four.3 BUSINESSto do business with someone or have a business connection with someone Most travel agents do not deal directly with these companies.4 TREAT/BEHAVE TOWARDSto succeed in controlling your feelings about an emotional problem so that it does not affect your life SYN cope with How’s he dealing with the whole thing?COLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1,2, 3 & 4nounsdeal with a problemBoth countries are having to deal with the problem of violence in urban areas.deal with an issue/matter/questionNew laws were introduced to deal with the issue.deal with a situationFor a while I had no idea how to deal with the situation.deal with a crisisThe president has flown home to deal with the crisis.deal with a complaintWorking in the Customer Service Department, you become an expert in dealing with complaints.deal with an enquiryOur staff will be able to deal with any enquiries.deal with an emergencyAll our ambulance drivers are trained to deal with emergencies.deal with a challengeI chose this job because I like having to deal with new challenges every day.adverbsdeal with something effectivelyMost schools don't deal with the problem of bullying very effectively.deal with something successfullyMost of these issues have now been successfully dealt with.deal with something adequatelyOur National Health Service does not deal adequately with the question of old age. THESAURUSdeal with something to take the necessary action, especially in order to solve a problemWe need to deal with problems like pollution and climate change.I spend most of my day dealing with customer enquiries.handle to deal with a problem or difficult situation by making particular decisions – used especially when talking about how well or badly someone does thisHe handled the situation very well.Most customers were happy with the way their complaints had been handled.tackle to start to deal with a problem, especially one that is complicatedWe need to tackle the issue of drugs in schools.The government is introducing new measures to tackle online crime.see to/attend to somebody/something to deal with all the practical details of something that needs to be done or organized. Attend to is more formal than see toMy son saw to all the funeral arrangements.I have some business to attend to.take care of something to do the work or make the arrangements that are necessary for something to happen – used especially when you do this for someone else so that they do not have to worry about itMy secretary takes care of all the paperwork.process if a company or organization processes a letter, form etc, they do the things that are usually done as part of their official system, in order to deal with itIt will take a minimum of 14 days to process your passport application.I called their office, and they said that my request was still being processed. → deal→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
deal with a problem/issue/matter etc• Commentary articles deal with issues in, or arising from, research that are also of interest to readers outside research.• But when they are dealing with matters involving other branches of government the courts take a more restrained view of their role.• Charlemagne never had to deal with problems like that.• It deals with issues of humiliation, bitterness, pride and redemption.• How could Columbia deal with issues of multiculturalism and diversity more effectively?• It sometimes helps to deal with problems one at a time, so the goals seem attainable.• Many middle managers also carry out a marketing role when dealing with issues relating to their public.• The best way to deal with problems such as these is to respect the experience of the individuals and understand their goals.From Longman Business Dictionarydeal with somebody/something phrasal verb [transitive]1to do business with a person or company or to have a business connection with themI’ve dealt with their company for a long time.2to have a particular job or function in an organizationThe banking department deals with all the other banking business.The insurance assessors who deal with accident claims will inspect the damaged building. → deal→ See Verb table 