depose

verb

de·​pose di-ˈpōz 

dē-

deposed; deposing

transitive verb

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

3

[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

b

: affirm, assert

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

intransitive verb

: to bear witness

Synonyms of depose

• topple
• dethrone
• sack
• dismiss
• unseat
• oust
• deprive
• unmake
• defrock

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

After the Taliban was deposed in November 2001, the Bush administration insisted that Afghanistan would be the home of an emerging democratic government. —Defense Priorities, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025

Police say the words delay, deny and depose were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims. —Molly Crane Newman, Mercury News, 2 Dec. 2025

General Horta N’Tam was sworn in as Guinea-Bissau’s new leader, a day after army officers deposed the president in the country’s ninth coup or attempted takeover in five decades. —Preeti Jha, semafor.com, 28 Nov. 2025

Embalo called French media to say he had been deposed and his whereabouts were unknown on Thursday. —Reuters, NBC news, 27 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French deposer, from Late Latin deponere (perfect indicative deposui), from Latin, to put down

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for depose

• aloes
• arose
• bedclothes
• bestows
• boroughs
• buboes
• cargoes
• cocos
• compose
• crossbows
• demos
• disclose

Kids 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

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: testify

the plaintiff deposed in person to many specific facts

—Mintz v. Atlantic Coast Line R. Co., 72 S.E.2d 38 (1952)