depose

verb

de·​pose di-ˈpōz How to pronounce depose (audio)
dē-
deposed; deposing

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 recessFrancis 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
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 defendantsNational Law Journal

intransitive verb

: to bear witness

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 After Marcos was deposed, his assets were frozen and 40 Wall Street was auctioned off, again, seven years later. Zach Everson, Forbes, 6 Oct. 2024 But the case is finally heating up after U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan on Tuesday granted Oakley’s motion to depose Dolan while also substantially limiting the scope of emails Dolan must share. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 12 Sep. 2024 Schuman does not know the identity of the new accuser deposed by Ruth’s attorneys, according to Barth Menzies. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2024 But with the new agreement Wednesday night, the eight crew members would be able to leave the country before they’re deposed. Holly Yan, CNN, 20 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for depose 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'depose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French deposer, from Late Latin deponere (perfect indicative deposui), from Latin, to put down

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of depose was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near depose

Cite this Entry

“Depose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depose. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

depose

verb
de·​pose di-ˈpōz How to pronounce depose (audio)
deposed; deposing
1
: to remove from a high office
deposed the king
2
: to testify under oath or by a sworn written statement

Legal Definition

depose

verb
de·​pose di-ˈpōz How to pronounce depose (audio)
deposed; deposing

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 defendantsNational Law Journal
compare examine

intransitive verb

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

More from Merriam-Webster on depose

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