denied; denying; denies
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
David A. Fisher6
archaic
: decline
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 the company denies claims that its equipment sparked the 2019 fire, which tore through Sylmar, Porter Ranch and Granada Hills — all suburbs of Los Angeles — burning 8,799 acres.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
To many in the transgender community, the policy also felt like another attack by the current administration to erase them from public spaces and deny their existence.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 27 June 2025
However, legal challenges will continue to Trump's Day 1 order to deny citizenship to children born on U.S. soil to unlawful immigrants or those on a temporary immigrant status, as the court did not rule on the merits of the cases.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 27 June 2025
Three courts stopped the president’s attempt to deny citizenship to babies born to mothers who lack legal permanent residency in the United States – the cases that led the Supreme Court to limit the reach of injunctions.
—Cassandra Burke Robertson, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deny
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Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
To many in the transgender community, the policy also felt like another attack by the current administration to erase them from public spaces and deny their existence.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 27 June 2025
However, legal challenges will continue to Trump's Day 1 order to deny citizenship to children born on U.S. soil to unlawful immigrants or those on a temporary immigrant status, as the court did not rule on the merits of the cases.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 27 June 2025
Three courts stopped the president’s attempt to deny citizenship to babies born to mothers who lack legal permanent residency in the United States – the cases that led the Supreme Court to limit the reach of injunctions.
—Cassandra Burke Robertson, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deny
Cite this Entry
“Deny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deny. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 8(b)2
: to refuse to grant
denied the motion for a new trial
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