depose

verb

Save Word

de·pose | \ di-ˈpōz

, dē- \

deposed; deposing

Definition of depose

transitive verb

1 : to remove from a throne or other high position plotting to depose the king a deposed military leader

2 : to put down : deposit deposing the sacrament in a carved recess— Francis Berry

3 [Middle English, from Medieval Latin deponere, from Late Latin]

a law : to testify to under oath or by affidavit deposed before the court that he had seen the defendant enter the building

b : affirm, assert

c law : to take testimony (see testimony sense 1a) from especially by deposition depose a witness plaintiffs … were entitled to depose experts retained by the defendants — National Law Journal

intransitive verb

: to bear witness

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About depose

Examples of depose in a Sentence

a military junta deposed the dictator after he had bankrupted the country she was nervous when the time to depose before the jury finally arrived

Recent Examples on the Web The committee, which seeks to depose Biggs on May 26, explained its thinking in a series of tweets. — Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 12 May 2022 And in the late ’90s, Jean-Marie Le Pen’s deputy, who believed the boss’s taste for Holocaust jokes was preventing the party from becoming a serious political force, attempted to depose him. — New York Times, 31 Mar. 2022 No evidence military will depose Biden Since the Electoral College votes have been certified, there is no constitutional way for Trump to become president until Biden's term is over in January 2025. — Daniel Funke, USA TODAY, 28 July 2021 But his decision comes as Trump has remained a dominant force in the GOP, retaining the fealty of many lawmakers and threatening to use party primaries to depose those who cross him. — Alan Fram, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Jan. 2022 Genesis Communications, which distributes Jones' show and was also named in the suit, would also like to depose Jones, his attorneys added in the filing. — Rob Frehse And Brian Vitagliano, CNN, 6 Apr. 2022 They were initially scheduled to depose Hughes last month. — Jeff Mcdonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2022 On Thursday, the justices quashed a bid by a Guantanamo detainee to depose former CIA contractors about alleged torture at an agency black site. — Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 4 Mar. 2022 As part of discovery, both Giuffre and Andrew were set to give video depositions under oath, while Giuffre’s lawyers also planned to depose about a dozen additional people, possibly including Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'depose.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Learn More About depose

Dictionary Entries Near depose

deposal

depose

deposer

Statistics for depose

Last Updated

17 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Depose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depose. Accessed 28 May. 2022.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

More Definitions for depose

depose

verb

de·pose | \ di-ˈpōz

deposed; deposing

Kids Definition of depose

: to remove from a high office depose a king

depose

verb

de·pose | \ di-ˈpōz

deposed; deposing

Legal Definition of depose

transitive verb

1 : to testify to under oath or by sworn affidavit

2 : to take testimony from especially by deposition plaintiffs…were entitled to depose experts retained by the defendants — National Law Journal — compare examine

intransitive verb

: testify the plaintiff deposed in person to many specific facts — Mintz v. Atlantic Coast Line R. Co., 72 S.E.2d 38 (1952)