deny

verb

de·ny | \ di-ˈnī

, dē-\

denied; denying

Definition of deny

transitive verb

1 : to declare untrue denied the allegation

2 : to refuse to admit or acknowledge : disavow denied responsibility for the vandalism

3a : to give a negative answer to denying the petitioners

b : to refuse to grant deny a request was denied a refund

c : to restrain (oneself) from gratification of desires deny himself the foods that he loves

4 archaic : decline

5 : to refuse to accept the existence, truth, or validity of There's no denying her expertise. You can't deny that he's a good singer.

Other Words from deny Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about deny

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Choose the Right Synonym for deny

deny, gainsay, contradict, contravene mean to refuse to accept as true or valid. deny implies a firm refusal to accept as true, to grant or concede, or to acknowledge the existence or claims of. denied the charges gainsay implies disputing the truth of what another has said. no one can gainsay her claims contradict implies an open or flat denial. her account contradicts his contravene implies not so much an intentional opposition as some inherent incompatibility. laws that contravene tradition

Examples of deny in a Sentence

He denied the report that he would be quitting his job. She denies all the charges that have been made against her. The police deny that racism is a problem in the department. Yes, I was there. I don't deny it. The judge denied their request. a government that denies its citizens basic freedoms

Recent Examples on the Web

But challenges are ahead for both the Republicans and the Democrats who hope to deny Trump re-election next year. — Laurie Kellman, The Seattle Times, "Trump takes victory lap; parties start to pivot past Russia," 27 Mar. 2019 Pompeo denied that and said the U.S. would continue to be a leader in such aid. — Matthew Lee, The Seattle Times, "US expands ban on foreign aid to overseas abortion providers," 26 Mar. 2019 Facebook, Twitter and Google’s YouTube have all denied that their algorithms suppress conservative content — and even said as much in front of this very committee earlier this year. — Shirin Ghaffary, Recode, "Live updates from Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s testimony to Congress today," 11 Dec. 2018 After plugging into a PC and running the tool, you'll either get confirmed or denied for an unlock code, and then there might be a waiting period before your code arrives. — Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, "What you need to know before importing that exotic Chinese Android phone," 9 Nov. 2018 Following an explosive Bloomberg Businessweek report alleging Chinese spies tampered with U.S. technology products made by Amazon, Apple and other prominent firms, the impacted companies have denied any involvement in the debacle. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "New Report Claims More Evidence of Chinese Microchip Tampering," 9 Oct. 2018 There's no denying the fact that LaMont and Mike looked like absolute naturals up there, but performing in front of Kelly's fan base was obviously still a nerve-wracking feat. — Blair Donovan, Country Living, "Kelly Clarkson Sang With Police Officers at Her Concert and the Response Was So Powerful," 23 Feb. 2019 But other times its based in the sexist history of medicine—and women's own personal experiences with having their pain minimized or denied by health care providers. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Why Anna Kendrick Was 'Vulnerable and Terrified' While Getting Treated for Kidney Stones," 4 Feb. 2019 There's no denying that both acts are super talented. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'AGT: The Champions' Fans Are Livid With Last Night's Results and Golden Buzzer Pick Kechi Okwuchi," 29 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deny.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.