deposit

verb de·pos·it \ di-ˈpä-zət \

Updated on: 13 Oct 2017

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

As of Sunday afternoon, the storm had deposited 9 trillion gallons over Southeast Texas, as bands of rain picked up moisture from the Gulf.

— sandhya somashekhar, Washington Post, "How Harvey went from a little-noticed storm to a behemoth," 27 Aug. 2017
As a result, $41,798.22 in school district funds was deposited directly into Joseph’s account.

— kyra gurney, miamiherald, "Principal siphoned $42,000 in school funds to pay housekeeper, investigators say," 23 Aug. 2017
During the same two-year period, $58,100 in cash was deposited in his personal account and $11,240 in the campaign account.

— craig lyons, Post-Tribune, "Closing arguments expected in Buncich trial," 22 Aug. 2017
Records claim that after a buyer deposited money into one of English's PayPal accounts for the purchase of a stroller, nothing was shipped.

— erin edgemon, AL.com, "Woman accused of scamming Craigslist, eBay shoppers with fake baby stroller ads," 10 Aug. 2017
Every transfer window, like clockwork, Britain's punditocracy will deposit think-pieces about football finance in the age of global super-inequality on the Internet's doorstep.

— jack holmes, Esquire, "How Can You Rationalize Spending $500 Million on a Soccer Player?," 4 Aug. 2017
Down 0-1 against Pirates starter Jameson Taillon, Winker ambushed a hanging curveball and deposited it 421 feet to center.

— zach buchanan, Cincinnati.com, "Winker shines to start extended audition in majors," 1 Aug. 2017
The floodwater might have deposited bad bacteria and the submersion could have shut down the microbial action that cooks compost. 5.

— beth botts, chicagotribune.com, "6 tips to remedy a flooded yard or garden," 13 July 2017
Tages, of Plainfield, pleaded guilty in 2013 to two counts of filing false tax returns in 2006 as part of a scheme in which payments from Aurora Health Center patients were deposited into a personal bank account between 2004 and 2008.

— suzanne baker, Naperville Sun, "Naperville woman's horse therapy program will not be evicted from Plainfield location," 13 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

deposit Synonyms

Synonyms

bank

Antonyms

withdraw

Related Words

cache, hoard, lay away, reserve, salt away, save, squirrel (away), stash, store, stow; invest

Near Antonyms

remove, take out; disburse, expend, give, lay out, pay, spend

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

Going back to the Basel standard would cut banks’ interest costs because bail-in debt pays higher rates than deposits.

— yalman onaran, Bloomberg.com, "Big U.S. Banks Could See Profit Jump 20% With Deregulation," 23 Aug. 2017
The Richardsons allegedly concealed these separate deposits by under reporting the daily revenue of Iceland Sports Complex to the company's owners in Michigan.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "Former employees admit role in scheme that took more than $550,000 from Iceland Sports Complex," 9 Aug. 2017
Musk said around 500,000 people worldwide have already put down a $1,000 deposit to reserve a Model 3.

— dee-ann durbin, The Seattle Times, "Tesla delivers first lower-cost Model 3 cars," 29 July 2017
Customers paid a small deposit to unlock a code in the umbrella handle, but most have not been returned to their stands after use.

— The Economist, "Business this week," 13 July 2017
Make bank deposits often and during business hours, but don’t establish a noticeable pattern.

— carmen gonzalez caldwell, miamiherald, "Tips for businesses to prevent robberies and stay secure in emergencies," 13 July 2017
At 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Montelongo entered a Fifth Third Bank branch at 4137 W. 167th St. in Country Club Hills and stood at a deposit slip counter in front of a teller for several minutes before leaving, according to a criminal complaint.

— ariana figueroa, chicagotribune.com, "FBI: Man robs bank while 4 children wait outside in SUV," 12 July 2017
Not only did the school refund the family’s tuition deposit, but McBride and their industry friends launched online fundraisers that brought in more than $30,000 for Francisco’s treatment.

— meghan overdeep, Southern Living, "Paralyzed Music Student Walks Again Thanks to John and Martina McBride," 30 June 2017
Snelling had hoped to gather the rocks to support the creationist belief that a global flood about 4,300 years ago was responsible for rock layers and fossil deposits around the world.

— amanda reilly, Science | AAAS, "Update: Creationist geologist wins permit to collect rocks in Grand Canyon after lawsuit," 30 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of deposit

see ¹deposit

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1621

See Words from the same year

deposit Synonyms

Synonyms

deposition, dregs, grounds, precipitate, sediment, settlings

Related Words

lees; ooze, silt, sludge; dross, slag, waste

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

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deposit

Definition of deposit

depositor

From the M-W Editors

Examples of deposit in a Sentence

Recent Examples of deposit from the Web

Origin and Etymology of deposit

deposit Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

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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