deny

verb

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de·ny | \ di-ˈnī

, dē- \

denied; denying; denies

Definition of deny

transitive verb

1 : to declare (something) to be untrue They denied the allegations.

2 : to refuse to admit or acknowledge (something) : 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 unwilling to deny himself the foods that he loves

4 : 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.

5 medical : to report or note the absence of (a symptom) The patient denies pruritus …— David A. Fisher

6 archaic : decline

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 Their compliance should be reviewed on a recurring basis — potentially every three months — and those that deny or limit access to PrEP should be penalized. — Carl Schmid, STAT, 5 Sep. 2021 The plan poses formidable challenges for the 27-country bloc, including trade tensions and a political backlash from those who deny climate change is happening. — Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2021 If the new French measures work, France could become a model of how to deal with a deadly pandemic and those who deny its impact. — David A. Andelman, CNN, 15 July 2021 To compensate, the mine owners, who deny the loss would be that high, planned to transplant the buckwheat or grow it from seed in unoccupied soil nearby. — Gregory Barber, Wired, 17 June 2021 The conclusions, which deny any political influence on decisions and cite fog-of-war confusion for any missteps, are likely to be dismissed as insufficient by critics of last summer's crackdown. — Ashraf Khalil, Star Tribune, 9 June 2021 The conclusions, which deny any political influence on decisions and cite fog of war confusion for any missteps, are likely to be dismissed as insufficient by critics of last summer’s crackdown. — Ashraf Khalil, Anchorage Daily News, 9 June 2021 The conclusions, which deny any political influence on decisions and cite fog-of-war confusion for any missteps, are likely to be dismissed as insufficient by critics of last summer’s crackdown. — Ashraf Khalil, chicagotribune.com, 9 June 2021 Elektra has no patience for transphobes, especially ones that deny her daughter Angel (Indya Moore) the wedding dress of her dreams. — Nick Romano, EW.com, 7 June 2021

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.

History and Etymology for deny

Middle English denien, borrowed from Anglo-French denier, deneier (also continental Old French), from de- de- (reinforcing the meaning of the base verb) + nier "to renounce, deny, refuse" (after Latin dēnegāre "to deny"), going back to Latin negāre "to say (with the negative of a conjoined clause), deny, say no" — more at negate

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