dealt

Dealt is the past tense and past participle of the verb deal. It is used in several senses that derive from distributing, handling, or negotiating. In card games, to deal means to distribute cards to players; in this sense, “dealt” refers to the action completed in the past, as in “The dealer dealt the cards.” In general usage, to deal with someone or something means to handle or manage it; for example, “They dealt with the complaint promptly” uses dealt as the past tense.

Etymology and history: The verb deal originates from Old English dǣlan, meaning to divide or portion. It is cognate with Dutch delen and German teilen, reflecting a common Germanic root for sharing or distributing. The sense of distributing cards or resources is a primary historical thread of the verb.

Usage notes: Dealt is an irregular verb; its present tense is deal, while the past tense and past participle are dealt. The past participle appears in perfect constructions like “They have dealt with this issue.” The phrase deal a blow uses the present tense deal, with dealt used in past contexts such as “The strike dealt a blow.” The noun deal is a separate sense referring to an agreement or a distribution, distinct from the verb’s past tense forms.

See also: deal, dealing, dealing with.