depose

verb

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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

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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 Republicans are determined to hold the seat in advance of the critical 2022 midterm elections, when the party hopes to seize the U.S. House and depose Democrat Nancy Pelosi as speaker. — Dallas News, "Donald Trump could have final say in wildly competitive race to replace Ron Wright in Congress," 29 Apr. 2021 But more recently an increasingly autocratic Erdogan has faced criticism for tightening his grip after a coup attempt failed to depose him in 2016. — Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times, "Biden formally recognizes killing of more than 1 million Armenians as genocide," 24 Apr. 2021 As part of the suit, Greenberg’s attorneys subpoenaed Valdes with plans to depose him about controversies from Valdes’ time in office. — Jason Garcia, orlandosentinel.com, "Before Joel Greenberg’s downfall, accusations of underhanded tactics piled up in re-election race," 22 Apr. 2021 The amphibious assault on Cuba’s southern coast, which started 60 years ago on April 17, 1961, as an attempt to depose the leftist revolutionary, was a fiasco, one of the greatest humiliations for the United States. — Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, "The Florida Resort That Played an Unlikely Role in the Bay of Pigs Fiasco," 16 Apr. 2021 Kirakosian said that when the judge agreed and said the attorney could depose Colomey, the city came to the table to settle. — Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, "L.A. to pay nearly $1.6 million to settle three lawsuits alleging police wrongdoing," 7 Apr. 2021 Funk has sought to depose LaRose and Grandjean in the case, but the state requested a protective order to prevent the depositions. — Robin Goist, cleveland, "Summit County GOP fundraising to pay for lawsuit against Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s ‘ruthless political vendetta’," 22 Mar. 2021 An executive fired by Lee Iacocca accused Girardi that same year of failing to depose key witnesses and file necessary motions in a wrongful termination case. — Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times, "Vegas parties, celebrities and boozy lunches: How legal titan Tom Girardi seduced the State Bar," 6 Mar. 2021 Gaetz and other Republicans sought to depose Cheney as the House Republican Conference Chair, the third-highest position in the GOP leadership. — David Jackson, USA TODAY, "'A threat': Rep. Liz Cheney, a top House Republican, again hits Donald Trump over Capitol riots," 23 Feb. 2021

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.

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Last Updated

5 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Depose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depose. Accessed 6 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for depose

depose

verb

English Language Learners Definition of depose

: to remove (someone) from a powerful position

See the full definition for depose in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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)

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