depose

verb

de·​pose di-ˈpōz 

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 recess …

—Francis Berry

3

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

a

law : to testify to under oath or by affidavit

deposed in 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 of depose

• topple
• dethrone
• sack
• dismiss
• unseat
• oust
• deprive
• unmake
• defrock

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

In the 2022 election, Sara was the running mate of presidential candidate Marcos Jr, son of the dictator who ruled for 20 years before being deposed in 1986. — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 9 July 2026

She who can be deposed and required to answer for her reasoning under oath. — Afnan R. Tariq, STAT, 8 July 2026

Recruitment processes are described as clearer and more aligned following the departures of Daniel Levy, the former executive chairman who was deposed in September last year, and ex-managing director of football Fabio Paratici. — Mark Critchley, New York Times, 4 July 2026

On June 23, Los Angeles County Court declined to compel Woods to be deposed in California, as the defendants' legal team requested. — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026

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

Rhymes for depose

• aloes
• arose
• bestows
• boroughs
• buboes
• cargoes
• cocos
• compos
• compose
• crossbows
• demos
• disclose

Kids Definition

depose

verb

de·​pose di-ˈpōz 

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 

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 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)