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
The Facebook comment about Tiffany Turner was eventually entered into evidence, and lawyers asked to depose Kennedy in their cases.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The committee was scheduled to depose former Attorney General Pam Bondi on April 14, but that session was canceled this week after the Department of Justice said she was subpoenaed as attorney general.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026
Webb was deposed by the plaintiffs last summer, and his testimony would still be admissible under the federal rules of civil procedure.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Bill and Hillary Clinton Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were deposed separately in February after unsuccessfully fighting a subpoena from the committee.
—Ava Berger, NPR, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for depose
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Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The committee was scheduled to depose former Attorney General Pam Bondi on April 14, but that session was canceled this week after the Department of Justice said she was subpoenaed as attorney general.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026
Webb was deposed by the plaintiffs last summer, and his testimony would still be admissible under the federal rules of civil procedure.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Bill and Hillary Clinton Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were deposed separately in February after unsuccessfully fighting a subpoena from the committee.
—Ava Berger, NPR, 8 Apr. 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 19 Apr. 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
