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

As for McGregor, its hard to deny the physical resemblance between the two. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "Halston’s Life Is Being Transformed Into a Miniseries Starring Ewan McGregor," 4 Jan. 2019 There has been a ton of media speculation about whether there's a rift between the young royals, especially Kate and Meghan, and Buckingham Palace made the unusual move to publicly deny the rumors. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Regular Person Kate Middleton Spotted Driving Herself to Buckingham Palace," 13 Dec. 2018 For its part, Moscow denies violating the treaty, while insisting that the U.S. itself has violated the treaty. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Why the U.S. Is Quitting a Key Nuclear Weapons Treaty," 5 Dec. 2018 Trump denied that the organization had done anything wrong. — David A. Fahrenthold, The Seattle Times, "Trump to shut down charity after lawsuit said he used it for personal and political benefit," 18 Dec. 2018 Honestly, even the cynics can't deny that all this thoughtful planning is just super sweet. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "The Romantic Hidden Meaning Behind Priyanka Chopra's Wedding Henna," 7 Dec. 2018 The plaintiffs feel the program should be less extreme, allowing renters to ask for a government inspector, but retaining the right to deny entry without a warrant. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Seattle’s mandatory rental inspection law challenged in lawsuit," 6 Dec. 2018 Moonves has vehemently denied the allegations and has said that the claims are being used as a way to remove him from his position. — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, "Here's What Julie Chen Is Doing Now," 18 Sep. 2018 In a statement, Prada denied any racist motivations or that the company intended to offend anyone. — Nadra Nittle, Vox, "Prada pulled a collection of figurines that drew comparisons to anti-black caricatures," 14 Dec. 2018

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.