deny

verb

de·​ny di-ˈnī 

dē-

denied; denying; denies

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

3

a

: 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

denyingly

di-ˈnī-iŋ-lē 

dē-

adverb

Synonyms of deny

• refute
• reject
• contradict

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

The Supreme Court also previously denied an appeal filed by Davis in 2020. —Jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025

That defeat denied Indianapolis a playoff appearance and infuriated the man in charge of it all. —James Boyd, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2025

The queen of talking about people behind their backs has an issue with them talking about someone behind their back — but Lisa, of course, rejects this comparison and denies saying anything out of order. —Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025

The film’s title may be overstated, but there’s no denying the way the song’s message about longing, separation, and regret affected an inordinately wide range of people who heard it. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing deny

• deny oneself
• grant/deny access to

Rhymes for deny

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• decry
• defy
• descry

Kids Definition

deny

verb

de·​ny di-ˈnī 

denied; denying

1

: to declare not to be true : contradict

deny a report

2

: to refuse to grant

deny a request

3

: to refuse to accept the existence or truth of

Medical Definition

deny

verb

de·​ny di-ˈnī 

dē-

denied; denying

: to report or note the absence of (a symptom)

A 52-year-old woman presented to the clinic with progressively worsening shortness of breath. … The patient denied any cough, hemoptysis, fever, chills, or weight loss.

—Faraz Badar et al., CHEST Journal

Legal Definition

deny

transitive verb

de·​ny

denied; denying

1

: to declare untrue

a party must…admit or deny the allegations

—Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 8(b)

compare avoid

2

: to refuse to grant

denied the motion for a new trial