deprived; depriving
1
: to take something away from
deprived him of his professorship—
J. M. Phalen
J. M. Phalenthe risk of injury when the brain is deprived of oxygen
2
: to withhold something from
deprived a citizen of her rights
3
: to remove from office
the Archbishop … would be deprived and sent to the Tower—Edith Sitwell
Edith Sitwell4
obsolete
: remove
'tis honor to deprive dishonored life—Shakespeare
ShakespeareExamples of deprive in a Sentence
working those long hours was depriving him of his sleep
a prince who had been deprived after those who opposed the monarchy came to power
Recent Examples on the Web
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday estimated that a shutdown could furlough roughly 750,000 federal workers each day, depriving them of about $400 million in wages daily.
—Nik Popli, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
Picasso’s portrait of Gertrude went to the Met, depriving Alice of a presence that felt alive to her.
—Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Such bills usually maintain funding at existing levels, depriving Congress of the ability to raise or cut spending.
—Lazaro Gamio, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Gaines argues since Title IX guarantees men and women equal opportunities to compete in athletics, permitting transgender female athletes to compete deprives other women athletes.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deprive
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Nik Popli, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
Picasso’s portrait of Gertrude went to the Met, depriving Alice of a presence that felt alive to her.
—Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Such bills usually maintain funding at existing levels, depriving Congress of the ability to raise or cut spending.
—Lazaro Gamio, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Gaines argues since Title IX guarantees men and women equal opportunities to compete in athletics, permitting transgender female athletes to compete deprives other women athletes.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deprive
Cite this Entry
“Deprive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deprive. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deprive
verb
de·prive
di-ˈprīv 
deprived; depriving
1
: to take something away from
deprive a ruler of power
2
: to stop from having something
deprived of sleep by street noises
deprivation
noun
ˌdep-rə-ˈvā-shən
Medical Definition
deprive
transitive verb
de·prive
di-ˈprīv
deprived; depriving
: to take something away from and especially something that is usually considered essential for mental or physical well-being
a child deprived of emotional support
tissue deprived of oxygen
Legal Definition
deprive
transitive verb
de·prive
deprived; depriving
: to take away or withhold something from
no person shall…be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law—U.S. Constitution amend. V
U.S. Constitution amend. VLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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