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

Success Rating: 4/10 No one can deny that Pep Guardiola's tenure at Barcelona brought unparalleled success to Camp Nou. — SI.com, "7 Players Who Returned to Their Former Club as Manager & How They Fared," 17 June 2019 Flash forward to 2019 and Southwest was again in the final, but this time Selland and the Raiders would not be denied in a 63-49 win over Mt. Carmel for the title. — Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Top high school performers recognized at Petco Park event," 14 June 2019 Democratic lawmakers and consumer advocates argue that such obligations deny or strip benefits from those who need them most. — Anya Samek, The Conversation, "Americans don’t agree on whether the poor should chip in or do work in exchange for aid," 14 June 2019 Goldman and DuVally are said to be planning to participate in another newspaper article about this matter — something DuVally didn’t deny in his brief conversation with FOX Business. — Fox News, "Goldman Sachs director praises firm during transition to be a woman," 13 June 2019 Though advertised to people of color, the class did not deny entry based on race. — Marcus Harrison Green, The Seattle Times, "Seattle yoga teacher’s ‘Undoing Whiteness’ class: Founded on deep purpose, it’s triggered outrage," 10 June 2019 Biden’s claims of experience on the world stage, therefore, cannot be denied. — Andrew Cockburn, Harper's magazine, "No Joe!," 10 June 2019 When the maid denied her, Clinton pushed past her into the house. — Longreads, "Demonology: A Woman’s Right to Fury," 10 June 2019 While the Yuletide event was approved unanimously and without council discussion Tuesday, a request from the Naperville Heritage Society for money to illuminate museum buildings for the holidays was denied. — Erin Hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Yuletide Festival to replace Christkindlmarket at Naper Settlement," 6 June 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.