Deal Breaker Definition & Meaning

Definition

Etymology

Examples

deal breaker American [deel brey-ker] / ˈdil ˌbreɪ kər / Or deal-breaker or dealbreaker

noun

1. an aspect, condition, or item that would not be accepted by a party to a business transaction or political deal.

   Prior to committing to a partnership, the corporation needs to have a clear vision of deal breakers versus where they are willing to be flexible.

2. something that would cause a person to abandon a plan, mutual arrangement, agreement, or relationship.

   Sorry, but entering into marriage with a partner who has hefty debt or terrible credit is definitely a deal breaker.

Etymology

Origin of deal breaker

First recorded in 1975–80; deal 1 ( def. ) + breaker 1 ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Both phones have the same 6.1-inch screen, but no MagSafe on the 16e was a deal breaker for me.

From The Wall Street Journal

If return-to-office mandates are a deal breaker, Choudhury said you don’t have to be limited to domestic employers in your job hunt.

From MarketWatch

If return-to-office mandates are a deal breaker, Choudhury said you don’t have to be limited to domestic employers in your job hunt.

From MarketWatch

“If you don’t, and you just think it’s just enough to have a mandate that the butts have to be in seats, you’re going to miss out on an entire segment of the population who have said, ‘It’s a deal breaker for me.’”

From Barron's

Greater voting control is a deal breaker for Tesla’s robot future, Musk made clear on the company’s third-quarter earnings call.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.