wheeler-dealer

noun

wheel·​er-deal·​er ˌ(h)wē-lər-ˈdē-lər 

variants or less commonly wheeler and dealer

: a shrewd operator especially in business or politics

Examples of wheeler-dealer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His love of talking like a wheeler-dealer — including over email — was a gift to investigators. — William Turton, ProPublica, 22 Sep. 2026

The Padres are fascinating because their team president, AJ Preller, is a wheeler-dealer always willing to trade his best players and best prospects. — Jim Bowden, New York Times, 17 July 2026

That’s the punch line of an old joke about a wheeler-dealer offering something attractive — on the condition the offeree sell their soul to the devil. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 May 2026

His father was a wheeler-dealer who lived by quick wits and the sweat of his brow, dabbling in bootlegged sake, swine farming, loan sharking, and later pachinko parlors—Japan’s ubiquitous low-stakes gambling game of clattering steel ball bearings. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 24 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1954, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for wheeler-dealer

• dealer
• feeler
• healer
• keeler
• peeler
• sealer
• stealer
• repealer
• revealer