deposit

verb de·pos·it \ di-ˈpä-zət \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of deposit

deposited play \-ˈpä-zə-təd, -ˈpäz-təd\; depositing play \-ˈpä-zə-tiŋ, -ˈpäz-tiŋ\

transitive verb

1 : to place especially for safekeeping or as a pledge

depositing her tools in the trunk of the car

; especially, economics : to put in a bank

having your paycheck automatically deposited into your bank account

2 a : to lay down : place

deposited himself in the chair next to me

b : to let fall (something, such as sediment)

layers of mud that had been deposited by the flood

intransitive verb

: to become deposited

—

depositor

play \-ˈpä-zə-tər, -ˈpäz-tər\ noun

See deposit defined for English-language learners

See deposit defined for kids

Examples of deposit in a Sentence

Your paycheck will be automatically deposited into your account.
I deposited over $3,000 this afternoon.
Please deposit your things in your room and return to the hotel lobby.
The taxi deposited us at the train station.

Recent Examples of deposit from the Web

In the email, the representative said funds had been deposited in Cohen's account.

— eric tucker and chad day, chicagotribune.com, "Trump: Raid on his lawyer abuses attorney-client privilege," 10 Apr. 2018
In the email, the representative said funds had been deposited in Cohen’s account.

— Time, "President Trump Believes He Has the Power to Fire Robert Mueller, White House Says," 10 Apr. 2018
On the outskirts of town, a train pulls up to deposit two Jewish men (Iván Angelusz, Marcell Nagy) and their steamer trunks.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "'High Noon' meets the Holocaust? Somehow it works in '1945'," 4 Apr. 2018
Insects are attracted to the large, pouch-like bottom lip and get caught in it long enough for the orchid to deposit its pollen on them.

— chris thomas, idahostatesman, "Beauty blooms in Idaho’s backcountry in the spring and summer | Idaho Statesman," 4 Apr. 2018
More than $547,000 in government grants were deposited into the Wells Fargo account between October 2016 and May 2017 — money that Jackson put to personal use, federal prosecutors said.

— ashley luthern, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Former Milwaukee day care owner pleads guilty to embezzling thousands and spending funds on WrestleMania, Packers tickets," 28 Mar. 2018
The woman was later notified by her bank that three fraudulent checks had been deposited into her account.

— lisa m. bolton, Washington Post, "Prince William County," 28 Mar. 2018
The new eight-foot wall, with a yellow line painted across the top, is actually about a foot in front of the new out-of-town scoreboard, leaving a small gap for home run balls to be deposited.

— mike digiovanna, latimes.com, "Lower right-field fence in Angel Stadium could yield more home runs," 25 Mar. 2018
After the incubation period, milky white female worms pierce the skin and burst out of the human body in search of a water source to deposit their millions of larvae.

— moni basu, CNN, "South Sudan reaches milestone in eradicating debilitating Guinea worm," 21 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of deposit

Latin depositus, past participle of deponere — see depose

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1624

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

deposit Synonyms

deposit

noun

Definition of deposit

1 : the state of being deposited

2 : something placed for safekeeping: such as

a : money deposited in a bank

making a deposit or a withdrawal

a deposit of $3,000

b : money given as a pledge or down payment

put down a deposit on a new house

3 : a place of deposit : depository

4 : an act of laying or putting something or someone down : an act of depositing

the deposit of boulders by ancient glaciers

5 a : something laid down; especially : matter deposited by a natural process

sandy deposits at the river's mouth

fatty deposits in the arteries

b geology : a natural accumulation (as of iron ore, coal, or gas)

See deposit defined for English-language learners

Examples of deposit in a Sentence

Our records show that she made a large deposit to her account earlier in the month.
If you return that empty soda can, you'll get back the five-cent deposit you paid when you bought the soda.
The rental car company requires a deposit for drivers under the age of 25.
a deposit of mud left by the flood
He had surgery to remove calcium deposits from his knee.
the buildup of fat deposits in the arteries
Their company has discovered new oil deposits below the ocean floor.

Recent Examples of deposit from the Web

Theft, Center Ridge Road: On March 5, a pizza restaurant reported a deposit of nearly $800 was missing.

— cheryl higley, cleveland.com, "Pharmacy reports stolen medication: North Ridgeville police," 7 Apr. 2018
This is characterized by excessive deposits of fat in the liver.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Conatus liver drug disappoints in testing, shares fall," 6 Apr. 2018
The new Model 3, a smaller saloon costing as little as $35,000 with a range still exceeding 220 miles, has attracted over 400,000 deposits of $1,000 each from eager customers.

— The Economist, "Tesla is heading for a cash crunch," 5 Apr. 2018
But the big draw to Morefield’s is its amazonite—the mine sits on a deposit of the green stuff more abundant than anywhere else in the country.

— todd plummer, Vogue, "Where to Find Your Own Crystals in the Wilds of the United States," 30 Mar. 2018
Anticipation for the Model 3 prompted nearly 400,000 prospective customers to put down deposits of $1,000 each.

— neal e. boudette, New York Times, "Tesla Looked Like the Future. Now Some Ask if It Has One.," 29 Mar. 2018
Topping the Western Governor's terrestrial list was tamarisk, which lowers the water table and creates large deposits of salt in the soil, hence its common name of salt cedar, according to the National Invasive Species Information Center.

— phil drake, USA TODAY, "Feral cats listed among top invasive species in the West," 22 Mar. 2018
Beyond the riverbed discovery, Curiosity has found that a nearby area called Yellowknife Bay used to be a giant lake, that the region had large deposits of groundwater, and that these environments persisted for millions of years.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "NASA's Curiosity Rover Hits 2,000 Sol (Martian Day) Milestone," 22 Mar. 2018
Along with rich but diminishing fishing stocks, the South China Sea is believed to hold deposits of oil, gas and other resources.

— Washington Post, "China, Philippines discuss joint South China Sea projects," 21 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of deposit

see ¹deposit

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1621

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

deposit Synonyms

Synonyms

account, budget, fund, kitty, nest egg, pool;

Related Words

chest, coffer(s);

assets, savings, savings account;

bankroll, cache, collection, cushion, hoard, pocketbook, reserve, treasure;

petty cash, pin money, pocket money, spending money;

Financial Definition of DEPOSIT

deposit

noun

What It Is

In the finance world, a deposit is the placement of funds in an account with a bank or other financial institution. Many people also use the term to refer to a refundable down payment made to ensure that a future transaction occurs.

How It Works

In the banking world, there are two general types of deposits: demand deposits and time deposits. Demand deposits are the placement of funds into an account that allows the depositor to withdraw his or her funds from the account without warning or with less than seven days' notice. Checking accounts are demand deposits. They allow the depositor to withdraw funds at any time, and there is no limit to the number of transactions a depositor can have on these accounts (although this does not mean that the bank cannot charge a fee for each transaction).

A time deposit is an interest-bearing deposit held by a bank or financial institution for a fixed term whereby the depositor can withdraw the funds only after giving notice. Time deposits generally refer to savings accounts or certificates of deposit, and banks and financial institutions usually require 30 days' notice for withdrawal of these deposits. Individuals and companies often consider time deposits as "cash" or readily available funds even though they are technically not payable on demand. The notice requirement also means that banks may assess a penalty for withdrawal before a specified date. Time deposits may pay higher interest rates than demand deposits.

Why It Matters

Demand deposits at commercial banks are part of the M1 money supply calculated by the Federal Reserve. Time deposits below $100,000 are included in the Federal Reserve's M2 money supply measure, and time deposits above $100,000 are included in the M3 money supply. The Federal Reserve currently does not place reserve requirements on savings deposits and CDs, but the amount of demand deposits an institution has often dictates all or part of the reserves it must keep on hand either in vault cash or on deposit with the Federal Reserve; the more dollars an institution has in demand deposits, the more dollars it must keep in reserves.

Source: Investing Answers

time deposit

noun

What It Is

A time deposit is an interest-bearing deposit held by a bank or financial institution for a fixed term whereby the depositor can only withdraw the funds after giving notice.

How It Works

Time deposits generally refer to savings accounts or certificates of deposit, and banks and financial institutions usually require 30 days notice for withdrawal of these deposits.

Why It Matters

Individuals and companies often consider time deposits as cash, or readily available funds, even though they are technically not payable on demand. The notice requirement also means that banks may assess a penalty for withdrawal before a specified date.

Time deposits may pay higher interest rates than demand deposits such as checking or money market accounts, which allow withdrawals at any time. The Federal Reserve currently does not place reserve requirements on savings deposits and CDs.

Time deposits below $100,000 are included in the Federal Reserve's M2 money supply measure, and time deposits above $100,000 are included in the M3 money supply.

Source: Investing Answers

DEPOSIT Defined for English Language Learners

deposit

verb

Definition of deposit for English Language Learners

: to put (money) in a bank account
: to put or leave (someone or something) in a particular place
: to leave an amount of (something, such as sand, snow, or mud) on a surface or area especially over a period of time

deposit

noun

Definition of deposit for English Language Learners

: an amount of money that is put in a bank account
: money that you give someone when you agree to buy something (such as a house or car)
: money that you pay when you buy or rent something and that you can get back if you return the thing or leave it in good condition

DEPOSIT Defined for Kids

deposit

verb de·pos·it \ di-ˈpä-zət \

Definition of deposit for Students

deposited; depositing

1 : to place for or as if for safekeeping

I deposited money in the bank.

2 : to give as a pledge that a purchase will be made or a service used

He deposited ten dollars on a new bicycle.

3 : to lay down : put

He deposited his books on the table.

4 : to let fall or sink

Layers of mud were deposited by flood waters.

deposit

noun

Definition of deposit for Students

1 : the state of being deposited

money on deposit

2 : money that is deposited

3 : something given as a pledge or as part payment

He put a deposit of ten dollars on a new bicycle.

4 : something laid or thrown down

A deposit of mud was left by the flood.

5 : mineral matter built up in nature

a coal deposit

Medical Dictionary

deposit

transitive verb de·pos·it \ di-ˈpäz-ət \

medical Definition of deposit

deposited play \-ˈpäz-ət-əd, -ˈpäz-təd\; depositing play \-ˈpäz-ət-iŋ, -ˈpäz-tiŋ\

: to lay down or foster the accumulation of as a deposit

crystals are deposited in the articular cartilage, the synovium, and the capsule
—Medical Radiography & Photography

deposit

noun

medical Definition of deposit

: matter laid down or accumulated especially in a living organism by a normal or abnormal process

removal of calcium deposits in his knees by arthroscopic surgery

Law Dictionary

deposit

transitive verb de·pos·it \ di-ˈpä-zət \

legal Definition of deposit

1 : to place for safekeeping or as security

may deposit the property with the court

; especially : to put in a bank account

2 in the civil law of Louisiana : to place (movable property) under a deposit

the depository can not make use of the thing deposited
—Louisiana Civil Code

—

depositor

play \di-ˈpä-zə-tər\ noun

deposit

noun

legal Definition of deposit

1 : the state of being deposited (as in an account)

holding the property on deposit

— compare escrow, trust

2 : something placed for safekeeping: as

a : money deposited in a bank especially to one's credit

— demand deposit

: a bank deposit that can be withdrawn without prior notice

— general deposit

: a deposit of money in a bank that is to the credit of the depositor thereby giving the depositor the right to money and creating a debtor-creditor relationship

— special deposit

: a deposit that is made for a specific purpose, that is to be returned to the depositor, and that creates a bailment or trust

— time deposit

: a bank deposit that can be withdrawn only after a set period of time or with prior notice

b : something given as security — see also security deposit

Note: A deposit may be applied to a purchase price or may be considered partial payment.

3 in the civil law of Louisiana

a : the gratuitous transfer of possession of movable property to another for a limited time or specified purpose such that the depositary is liable to some extent for loss or damage to the property — see also sequestration — compare bailment, hiring, loan for consumption and loan for use at loan

Note: Like the common-law bailment, the civil law deposit requires either actual or constructive delivery.

— necessary deposit

: a deposit compelled by a sudden emergency

Note: The Louisiana Civil Code deems the deposit of travelers' belongings with an innkeeper a necessary deposit.

— voluntary deposit

: a deposit that is made by the mutual consent of the depositor and depositary

Note: The consent required may be express or implied, and because of the requirements of consent, only persons with the capacity to contract can make a voluntary deposit.

b : the movable property that is the object of a deposit

the depositary is bound to use the same diligence in preserving the deposit that he uses in preserving his own property
—Louisiana Civil Code

4 : an act of depositing

upon the deposit of the money in the escrow account

5 : depository

night deposit

Learn More about deposit

See words that rhyme with deposit Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for deposit Spanish Central: Translation of deposit Nglish: Translation of deposit for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of deposit for Arabic speakers

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deposit

Definition of deposit

depositor

Examples of deposit in a Sentence

Recent Examples of deposit from the Web

Origin and Etymology of deposit

deposit Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

deposit

Definition of deposit

Examples of deposit in a Sentence

Recent Examples of deposit from the Web

Origin and Etymology of deposit

deposit Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Financial Definition of DEPOSIT

What It Is

How It Works

Why It Matters

What It Is

How It Works

Why It Matters

Phrases Related to DEPOSIT

Related Phrases

DEPOSIT Defined for English Language Learners

deposit

Definition of deposit for English Language Learners

deposit

Definition of deposit for English Language Learners

DEPOSIT Defined for Kids

deposit

Definition of deposit for Students

deposit

Definition of deposit for Students

Medical Dictionary

deposit

medical Definition of deposit

deposit

medical Definition of deposit

Law Dictionary

deposit

legal Definition of deposit

depositor

deposit

legal Definition of deposit

Learn More about deposit

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