A dealership is a business that sells products made by a specific company, most commonly cars and trucks. When your family needs a new vehicle, they might visit a Toyota dealership, a Ford dealership, or a Honda dealership. Each dealership has a special agreement with the manufacturer to sell its vehicles in a particular area.

The dealership doesn't make the cars itself. Instead, it acts as a go-between: the manufacturer builds the vehicles, and the dealership displays them in a showroom, helps customers choose the right one, arranges financing, and handles the paperwork. Dealerships also typically offer repair services and sell replacement parts for the vehicles they sell.

While car dealerships are the most common, the word can apply to any business with this kind of arrangement. A motorcycle dealership sells motorcycles, and a farm equipment dealership sells tractors and other machinery. The key feature is that the business has an official relationship with the manufacturer, which is why you'll often see the manufacturer's logo prominently displayed on the building and why salespeople at a Chevrolet dealership can't sell you a Nissan.