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

One, called the FRONTIER Act, aims to establish a framework for governing the deployment of advanced AI models. — Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

The move gives China a route to test whether the design’s promised gains in safety, construction, automation, and cost can translate from engineering optimization into large-scale nuclear deployment. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026

Helicopter footage captured by KTLA News showed a massive deployment of emergency vehicles along Van Nuys Boulevard, which was closed between Beachy and Canterbury avenues. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

The latter ensured fewer protests against seemingly endless deployments but also meant that a disproportionate share of the population would bear the burden. — Michael E. Neagle, Hartford Courant, 8 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for deployment

• employment
• enjoyment
• preemployment
• redeployment
• reemployment
• unemployment
• underemployment