Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wheeler-dealer

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.63 in modern English

Syllables: wheel-er-deal-er
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A shrewd political or commercial schemer, especially one who is unscrupulous; a hustler; a shady operator.

Informal

Example Sentences

"Seated at separate tables to underscore their differing levels of involvement with indicted savings and loan wheeler-dealer Charles Keating, the five were fighting to regain reputations earned in a lifetime of public service."
"It is illegal to buy and sell this sort of item, he says, but not necessarily illegal to buy and sell the containers that they happen to come in. What an unexpected wheeler dealer."

Etymology

From wheel and deal, equivalent to wheel + -er + deal + -er.

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

wheeler-dealers (plural) wheeler dealer (alternative) wheelerdealer (alternative)

Phrases

wheel and deal wheeler-dealing

Frequently Paired Words

wheel and deal wheeler-dealing

Questions

What does wheeler-dealer mean?: A shrewd political or commercial schemer, especially one who is unscrupulous; a hustler; a shady operator.
Where does wheeler-dealer come from?: From wheel and deal, equivalent to wheel + -er + deal + -er.

How to pronounce wheeler-dealer

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