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 before the 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

• defrock
• deprive
• dethrone
• displace
• oust
• uncrown
• unmake
• unseat
• unthrone

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

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the Iranian leadership’s most existential threat, was deposed, and his regime was replaced by a weak state led by disaffected Shiites with existing ties to Tehran. —Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024

Trump is scheduled to be deposed in that lawsuit this month. —Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024

The group’s unrelenting coordinated attacks began on February 29 against police stations, prisons, key government infrastructure and other facilities with the goal of deposing the current government. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024

Coming into the Oversight Committee, spitting in our face, ignoring a congressional subpoena to be deposed. —Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner, 10 Jan. 2024

Scott was deposed over five months ago, and Drake was deposed last November. —Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2024

One of Joe Biden’s notable digressions when getting deposed by Special Counsel Robert Hur was about driving his beloved 1967 Corvette Stingray convertible. —Rich Lowry, National Review, 26 Mar. 2024

During Friday's hearing, Fink cleared the way for Kelly’s wife, Wanda, to be deposed for another 90 minutes by state prosecutors. —The Arizona Republic, 27 Jan. 2024

The former speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, is scouring her district, looking for a conservative to challenge her in the primaries as payback for her role in deposing him. —Sharon Lafraniere, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024

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

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)