INDEX:
1. to do things that need doing
2. to deal with a problem or difficult situation
3. to deal successfully with a difficult situation
4. to deal with a difficult situation in a particular way
5. when there are difficult problems that you must deal with
6. a particular way of dealing with something
RELATED WORDS
solve a problem : ↑ SOLVE
see also
↑ PROBLEM
◆◆◆
1. to do things that need doing
▷ deal with /ˈdiːl wɪð/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to decide what needs to be done and make sure that it is done :
▪ Who is dealing with the accommodation arrangements for the conference?
▪ I spend most of my working day dealing with customer inquiries.
▪ I’m sorry I’m late. I had an urgent call to deal with.
▷ see to/attend to /ˈsiː tuː, əˈtend tuː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to deal with all the practical details of something that needs to be done or organized :
▪ I’ll join you later - there are a few things I need to see to at the office first.
▪ My brother attended to all the funeral arrangements.
▪ You’d better get someone to see to that leaking pipe.
see to it that
▪ I’ll see to it that everything is ready on the day.
▷ take care of /ˌteɪk ˈkeər ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to make sure that arrangements are made or work is completed, especially when you do this for someone else so that they do not need to worry about it :
▪ My secretary will take care of the details.
▪ Shall I take care of your mail for you while you are away?
it/everything is taken care of
someone has dealt with it for you
▪ Don’t worry about your passport and visa - it’s all taken care of.
▷ leave it to me /ˌliːv ɪt tə ˈmiː/ spoken
say this to tell someone that you will be responsible for making arrangements or for doing something that needs doing :
▪ ‘We need to make sure the others know where we’ll be meeting.’ ‘Leave it to me. I’ll phone them when I get home.’
▷ process /ˈprəʊsesǁˈprɑː-/ [transitive verb usually in passive]
if an organization such as a government department processes a letter, an official document, or formal process etc, it deals with it :
▪ You should allow two weeks for your visa application to be processed.
▪ Computers have given banks the power to process millions of transactions a day.
▷ follow up British /follow up on American /ˌfɒləʊ ˈʌp, ˌfɒləʊ ˈʌp ɒnǁˌfɑː-/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to take further action in order to deal with a complaint, request, letter etc :
▪ I got your e-mail but I’m afraid I forgot to follow it up.
▪ Our rule is that the complaints department must follow up a letter within two days.
▪ Following up on recommendations made last year, the president called for the more efficient use of resources.
2. to deal with a problem or difficult situation
▷ tackle /ˈtæk ə l/ [transitive verb]
to begin to deal with a problem in a determined way, especially a big or complicated problem :
▪ Many schools are now trying to tackle the problem of drug abuse.
▪ The new laws are aimed at tackling unemployment.
tackle something head on
deal with something in a direct and determined way
▪ Police forces in the area are trying to tackle car crime head on.
▷ handle /ˈhændl/ [transitive verb]
to deal with a problem or a difficult situation, especially in an effective or confident way :
▪ There were a few problems, but nothing I couldn’t handle.
▪ A lot of people find it difficult to handle criticism.
handle something well/badly
▪ The whole situation has been very badly handled.
▪ It’s her first year as a doctor, but she is handling the pressures of the job very well.
▷ sort out /ˌsɔːʳt ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb] especially British
to deal with small but difficult problems that are causing trouble or preventing you from doing something :
▪ I spent the weekend sorting out my tax affairs.
▪ We’ll have to sort your immigration status out before we can offer you a job.
sort yourself out
deal with any personal problems you have
▪ I decided to take a week’s holiday to try and sort myself out.
▷ grapple with /ˈgræp ə l wɪð/ [transitive phrasal verb not in passive]
to try hard to deal with a difficult problem or situation, especially for a long time :
▪ The authorities have been grappling with the problem for a decade, but cars still choke the streets in the rush hour.
▪ There is no environmental policy in a country that is still grappling with increasing poverty.
▷ take the bull by the horns /teɪk ðə ˌbʊl baɪ ðə ˈhɔːʳnz/ [verb phrase]
to deal with a difficult situation or problem in a quick, confident, and determined way :
▪ Helena decided to take the bull by the horns and organize the show herself.
3. to deal successfully with a difficult situation
▷ manage /ˈmænɪdʒ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to deal successfully with a fairly difficult but ordinary situation :
▪ ‘How did you manage while you were unemployed?’ ‘Luckily, I had some savings.’
▪ I’ll be away for a week, do you think you can manage on your own?
▪ Helen was always a difficult child. None of her teachers knew how to manage her.
▪ The seminar discusses typical work-related problems and strategies to manage them.
▷ cope /kəʊp/ [intransitive verb]
to succeed in dealing with difficult problems in your life, your job, or your relationships :
▪ It’s a tough job but I’m sure he’ll cope.
cope with
▪ When I got back from holiday, I had an enormous backlog of work to cope with.
cope emotionally/financially/psychologically etc
▪ The kids were very young and it was difficult to cope financially.
cope well/successfully/nicely etc
▪ People who cope successfully with difficult situations usually look ahead and anticipate the circumstances.
▷ get through /ˈget θruː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to live through an unhappy or unpleasant time in your life, and deal with the problems that it brings :
▪ Her friends helped her to get through the first awful weeks after Bill died.
▷ have something under control /hæv something ˌʌndəʳ kənˈtrəʊl/ [verb phrase not in progressive or passive]
to be dealing successfully with a difficult situation at the moment :
▪ The police have the situation under control.
be under control
▪ The flight was very bumpy but the pilot assured us that everything was under control.
bring something under control
start to deal with it successfully
▪ The disease is spreading so fast that it is going to take years to bring it under control.
keep something under control
▪ During the 1990s low oil prices helped to keep inflation under control.
▷ get over /ˌget ˈəʊvəʳ/ [transitive phrasal verb] especially spoken /overcome /ˌəʊvəʳˈkʌm/ [transitive verb] especially written
to deal successfully with a problem so that it no longer exists or is not as bad :
▪ I’ve always wanted to overcome my fear of spiders.
▪ It’s perfectly normal to be a bit nervous. I’m sure you’ll get over it once you start your presentation.
▪ The school overcame the problem of funding by getting local firms to sponsor them.
▷ come/get to grips with /ˌkʌm, ˌget tə ˈgrɪps wɪð/ [verb phrase]
to consider, understand, and deal with a very difficult or important problem or situation :
▪ The residents of the small town are still struggling to come to grips with the tragedy.
▪ Teachers must be prepared to spend time getting to grips with new technology.
▪ No country has really got to grips with the problem of nuclear waste.
▷ rise to the occasion/the challenge /ˌraɪz tə ði əˈkeɪʒ ə n, ðə ˈtʃælə̇ndʒ/ [verb phrase]
to deal successfully with a sudden, unexpected situation or problem by trying especially hard :
▪ We are calling on all our employees to rise to the occasion and become more efficient and productive.
▪ The team rose to the challenge and fought back to produce another goal.
rise to the challenge of something
▪ Naylor was one of those men who rise to the challenge of danger.
▷ take something in your stride /ˌteɪk something ɪn jɔːʳ ˈstraɪd/ [verb phrase]
to deal with an unexpected or difficult problem calmly and confidently :
▪ Liz seems to be taking the divorce in her stride.
▪ Most kids get teased a bit at school - they have to learn to take it in their stride.
▪ Nigel smiled and took the criticism in his stride.
▷ rise above /ˌraɪz əˈbʌv/ [transitive phrasal verb not in passive]
to deal with a problem or difficult situation, by being able to ignore or forget about it :
▪ Kate rose above all the trouble at home and did well in her classes.
▪ Immigrants to the country were struggling to survive and rise above the poverty that surrounded them.
4. to deal with a difficult situation in a particular way
▷ treat /triːt/ [transitive verb]
to deal with something or someone in a particular way and with a particular attitude :
▪ The school are treating this matter very seriously.
treat something/somebody lightly
not seriously or severely
▪ No one would suggest that sex offenders should be treated lightly.
treat something as something
▪ The company treats training as a continuous part of career development.
▪ Police say that her death is being treated as suspicious.
▷ play/play it /ˈpleɪ (ɪt)/ [transitive verb/verb phrase]
to deal with a situation by behaving in the way you think will be best in order to achieve the result that you want :
▪ Have you decided how you want to play it?
play it well/carefully/steady etc
▪ You can get exactly what you want if you play it carefully.
play (it) safe
not take any risks
▪ In the run-up to the election, politicians in both parties just wanted to play it safe.
play (it) straight
do something or deal with someone in a direct honest way
▪ Some of the people involved in the competition, were not playing it straight.
▪ ‘Play straight with me or I’ll kill you,’ he hissed.
play it cool
behave as though you do not care about something or someone
▪ She would not show him how upset she was. It was always smarter to play it cool.
play it by ear
decide what to do as the situation develops
▪ ‘What’ll you do if he asks you?’ ‘I’m not sure, I’ll play it by ear.’
▷ approach /əˈprəʊtʃ/ [transitive verb]
to begin to deal with a difficult situation in a particular way or with a particular attitude :
▪ I don’t think refusing to negotiate is the right way to approach this problem.
▪ Try to relax before the exam, and you’ll approach it in a better frame of mind.
5. when there are difficult problems that you must deal with
▷ face /feɪs/ [transitive verb]
if you face a difficult problem or duty, or it faces you, you must deal with it :
▪ Latin America faces a growing debt problem.
▪ McManus knew he was facing the biggest challenge of his career.
▪ This report highlights some of the problems faced by learners of English.
▪ The new administration faces the difficult task of rebuilding the country’s economy.
be faced with/by something
▪ He was faced with the task of breaking the bad news to the boy’s relatives.
▪ Today’s violence highlights the problems faced by the government here.
▷ be confronted with/by /biːkənˈfrʌntɪd wɪð, baɪ/ [verb phrase usually in passive]
if you are confronted with/by a difficult problem, you must deal with it :
▪ Nurses are confronted with life-or-death situations on a daily basis.
▪ He remembered when he was first confronted by the racial realities of living in South Africa.
▷ have to contend with /hæv tə kənˈtend wɪð/ [verb phrase]
to have to deal with a problem or several problems, especially when you are already in a difficult situation :
▪ The chairman also had to contend with divisions among the committee members.
▪ Rescuers were having to contend with cold weather, snow and ice.
▷ face up to /ˌfeɪs ˈʌp tuː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to accept and deal with an unpleasant fact or something difficult instead of ignoring it :
▪ The Principal accused parents of not facing up to their responsibilities.
▪ It’s only by facing up to her addiction that she can hope to live a normal life again.
face up to doing something
▪ It’s time the government faced up to spending more on health and education.
face up to things
▪ You should face up to things, not just pretend that nothing’s happening.
▷ have somebody/something to reckon with /hæv somebody/something tə ˈrekən wɪð/ [verb phrase]
to be in a position where you must deal with something or someone so difficult or powerful that you might not succeed :
▪ You’ll have the boss to reckon with if you go home this early.
▪ Anyone attempting to invade the country will have to reckon with the peacekeeping force.
6. a particular way of dealing with something
▷ course of action/course /ˌkɔːʳs əv ˈækʃ ə n, kɔːʳs/ [noun phrase]
an action or several actions which could be taken in order to deal with a particular situation :
▪ The best course of action would be to speak to her and tell her the whole story.
▪ One possible course of action is to increase taxes on alcohol and tobacco.
▪ Jim didn’t want to start an argument, so agreeing seemed to be the safest course.
▷ approach /əˈprəʊtʃ/ [countable noun]
a particular way of dealing with a problem, difficult situation, or job :
▪ The company needs to adopt a much more radical approach.
approach to
▪ Each of the delegates suggested a different approach to the problem.
▪ the government’s aggressive approach to the question of homelessness
▷ option /ˈɒpʃ ə nǁˈɑːp-/ [countable noun]
one of several ways that you could choose in order to deal with a problem or a difficult situation :
▪ Working full-time may not be your best option.
▪ What other options do I have?
only option
the only thing you can do
▪ Our only option now is to contact the police.
no option
no other way of dealing with something
▪ These people have no option but to take low-paid unattractive work.
environmental/nuclear/political etc option
▪ As for replacement fuels, many people do not like to contemplate the nuclear option.
▷ your best bet /jɔːʳ ˈbest ˌbet/ [noun phrase] spoken
the best way of dealing with something :
▪ For getting around the city centre, a bicycle’s your best bet.
somebody’s best bet is to do something
▪ We decided that our best bet was to leave him where he was and go and get help.