A good deal with synonym hinges on what kind of trouble sits in front of you: a task, a hard feeling, a topic or a client. For problems, reach for handle, tackle or address. For emotions, cope with fits best. For a book or report, cover or discuss is the natural swap.
This phrase gets overused in work writing because it is vague. Picking a sharper verb tells your reader how the thing was handled, not just that it was. Below are the senses side by side, the forms dealt with and dealing with, and the phrases that mean the opposite.
Swatch at a glance
Best swaps
handle, tackle, address, cope with, coverPart of speech
Phrasal verb (deal + with)Most formal
address, attend toMost casual
sort out, take care ofWatch out
Cope with is for hard feelings or pressure. You cope with grief, but you do not cope with a customer order.Word forms covered
deals with, dealt with, dealing withAntonyms
ignore, neglect, avoid, put off
Pick your deal with synonym by sense
The phrase has five jobs. Decide which job deal with is doing for you, then borrow a verb from that line.
| Your meaning | Swap options | Sample line |
|---|---|---|
| Act on a problem | handle, tackle, address, sort out | Our team will tackle the backlog first. |
| Get through something painful | cope with, come to terms with, live with | He is still coming to terms with the move. |
| Be about a topic | cover, discuss, examine, explore | Chapter two covers the causes. |
| Trade with | do business with, work with, buy from | We have worked with that supplier for ages. |
| Treat a person | treat, act toward, speak to | She treats every caller with patience. |
Chatty to polished: how the chips line up
Picture the strip as a line from chatty to polished. Sort out is friendly and spoken. Handle is plain and suits nearly every register. Tackle adds energy, as if the problem is big and you are taking it on head first. Manage suggests ongoing control rather than a single fix. Address sits at the polished end and turns up often in reports, letters and meeting notes.
Note that address takes a direct object: you address the issue, never address with the issue.
Before and after swaps
- I will deal with it tomorrow becomes I will sort it out tomorrow.
- The report deals with climate risk becomes the report examines climate risk.
- She dealt with the complaint quickly becomes she resolved the complaint quickly.
- Learning to deal with stress becomes learning to cope with stress.
- Someone must deal with the leaking pipe becomes someone must repair the leaking pipe.
- A firm we deal with becomes a firm we do business with.
Status update to a manager: "I dealt with the billing error and I am dealing with the refund." Better: "I fixed the billing error and I am now processing the refund." Each verb now tells the manager what actually happened.
Dealt with, dealing with and deals with
The swaps change form just like the phrase does. For the past tense dealt with, try handled, tackled, resolved, addressed or took care of. For dealing with, try handling, managing, getting through or coping with. For deals with in a summary of a text, try covers, explores or focuses on.
On a resume, past forms with a result read well: resolved a supplier dispute, handled forty calls a day, managed a team of six.
Near misses to watch for
Solve and resolve claim the problem is gone. Use them only if it is. Handle and tackle just say you took action. Put up with means you tolerate something you dislike, so it hints at annoyance: you put up with a noisy neighbor, but you handle a client. Overcome means you beat a difficulty, which is stronger than just coping with it.
The opposite: leaving it alone
When a problem is not dealt with, it is ignored, neglected, put off or shelved. Dodge and sidestep hint that the person stepped around it deliberately.
- The council shelved the plan for another year.
- He kept dodging the question.
See the avoid synonyms and ignore synonyms pages for more.
Choosing for emails, essays and chat
In a work email, address, handle and look into read as clear and calm. In an essay, use examine, explore or consider when you mean a text or study covers something. Among friends, sort out and take care of sound natural. Our action verbs hub collects dozens more.
Frequently asked questions
Which deal with swap sounds most formal?
Address is the usual polished pick, as in address the concern. Attend to and resolve also sound professional.
Which verb should replace deal with when stress is the object?
Cope with stress and manage stress are the usual swaps. Handle stress works too and sounds a little lighter.
Is tackle stronger than handle?
Yes. Tackle suggests a big or hard problem and real effort. Handle is neutral and can describe routine tasks.
How do I replace deals with in a summary?
Covers, discusses, explores and focuses on all work. Examines carries the most scholarly tone.
If you refuse to deal with something, what verbs fit?
Ignore, avoid, neglect and put off are the main opposites. Dodge and sidestep add the idea of doing it on purpose.