deployment

noun

de·​ploy·​ment di-ˈplȯi-mənt 

plural deployments

: the act or movement of deploying or the state of being deployed: such as

a

: placement or arrangement (as of military personnel or equipment) in position for a particular use or purpose

deployment of troops

deployment of a sales force

U.S. military assistance for hurricane relief efforts has delayed the deployment of additional forces to Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

—Reuters

… memories of the peace protests that in the 1980s greeted the deployment of nuclear-armed cruise missiles on Greenham Common in Berkshire.

—Tim Luckhurst

also : an instance of such placement (as in a battle zone) for a period of time

On breaks from his job as a guard at the prison Camp Bucca, Iraq … during his last deployment, in 2007, James would retreat to the camp's sand-swept outdoor court and try to perfect his shot.

—Kelli Anderson

b

: an instance of use that involves something opening and spreading out

a pilot's deployment of a parachute after ejecting from the cockpit

These components work together to fully deploy the air bag within 50 milliseconds of impact. After deployment, the air bag will deflate in approximately 100 milliseconds.

—Martin W. Stockel et al.

Examples of deployment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This was quite the pivot from collaborating with Coalition Forces over 3 deployments as a combat and trauma surgeon, earning a Combat Device while serving with the U.S. Special Forces in Mosul, Iraq in 2017. —Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024

This decoding process could become far easier, and more accurate, with the deployment of ever more powerful generative AI models. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 18 Apr. 2024

The deployment of over 100 ballistic missiles in a single wave suggests that previous estimates that Iran has about 3,000 ballistic missiles stockpiled are probably accurate, and could even be on the low end. —Nilo Tabrizy, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024

Raytheon has used game engines to simulate the deployment of new military technologies, including autonomous drone swarms and fleets of unmanned ground vehicles in dense cities. —Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024

The Biden administration, which supports the deployment of Kenyan police officers to assist Haitian police combat ruthless armed gangs sowing chaos in the country, has faced congressional roadblocks despite pledging $300 million towards the mission. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024

This includes the deployment of nearly 1,900 security personnel for Tuesday’s game, which will be attended by approximately 76,000 spectators, 4,100 of whom have traveled from England. —Joseph Ataman, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024

Two-thirds of Texas voters support the deployment of more state police and military resources to the border, according to a February poll. —Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024

The deployment also is meant to position a U.S. crisis-response force in the Indo-Pacific, the Marines said in a statement. —Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French déploiement, from déployer "to unfurl, spread out, deploy" + -ment -ment

First Known Use

1781, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing deployment

• counter-deployment