deposed; deposing
1
: to remove from a throne or other high position
plotting to depose the king
a deposed military leader
2
: to put down : deposit
… deposing the Sacrament … in a carved recess …—
Francis Berry
Francis Berry3
[Middle English, from Medieval Latin deponere, from Late Latin]
a
law
: to testify to under oath or by affidavit
deposed in court that he had seen the defendant enter the building
c
law
: to take testimony (see testimony sense 1a) from especially by deposition
depose a witness
plaintiffs … were entitled to depose experts retained by the defendants—National Law Journal
National Law Journal
: to bear witness
Examples of depose in a Sentence
a military junta deposed the dictator after he had bankrupted the country
she was nervous when the time to depose before the jury finally arrived
Recent Examples on the Web
One of a handful of female Republicans in the party, and one of two Asian American GOP lawmakers in the House, she will not be easily deposed.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 9 Mar. 2026
The same facility also houses deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and hip-hop artist Tekashi 6ix9ine, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez.
—Adam Reiss, NBC news, 8 Mar. 2026
But Bush 41 chose not to continue on to Baghdad and depose the Iraqi regime, because his advisers warned this would set off an Iraqi civil war.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
Key piece of evidence A key piece for government prosecutors will be the travel log of Solages, who styled himself as a translator, but according to one of the Colombians deposed did not know Spanish.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for depose
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Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 9 Mar. 2026
The same facility also houses deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and hip-hop artist Tekashi 6ix9ine, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez.
—Adam Reiss, NBC news, 8 Mar. 2026
But Bush 41 chose not to continue on to Baghdad and depose the Iraqi regime, because his advisers warned this would set off an Iraqi civil war.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
Key piece of evidence A key piece for government prosecutors will be the travel log of Solages, who styled himself as a translator, but according to one of the Colombians deposed did not know Spanish.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for depose
Cite this Entry
“Depose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depose. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
depose
verb
de·pose
di-ˈpōz 
deposed; deposing
1
: to remove from a high office
deposed the king
2
: to testify under oath or by a sworn written statement
Legal Definition
depose
verb
de·pose
di-ˈpōz
deposed; deposing
1
: to testify to under oath or by sworn affidavit
2
: to take testimony from especially by deposition
plaintiffs…were entitled to depose experts retained by the defendants—National Law Journal
compare examine
National Law Journal
: testify
the plaintiff deposed in person to many specific facts—Mintz v. Atlantic Coast Line R. Co., 72 S.E.2d 38 (1952)
Mintz v. Atlantic Coast Line R. Co., 72 S.E.2d 38 (1952)Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
