deposition

noun

de·po·si·tion | \ ˌde-pə-ˈzi-shən

, ˌdē-pə-\

Definition of deposition

1a law : a testifying especially before a court was sworn in before giving his deposition

b : declaration specifically, law : testimony taken down in writing under oath took depositions from the witnesses

c law : out-of-court testimony made under oath and recorded by an authorized officer for later use in court gave a videotaped deposition about what she witnessed also : a meeting at which such testimony is taken

2 : an act or process of laying someone or something down or letting something fall : an act or process of depositing the deposition of earth and stone by glaciers

3 : something deposited : deposit Moraines are glacial depositions.

4 : an act of removing from a position of authority : an act of deposing deposition of a king

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Examples of deposition in a Sentence

She gave a videotaped deposition about what she saw that night. His attorneys took depositions from the witnesses. the deposition of sand and gravel on the river bed

Recent Examples on the Web

Purdue was in the process of appealing that decision when STAT and ProPublica on Thursday jointly published the deposition. — Sara Randazzo, WSJ, "Purdue Family Member Sought to Avoid Comparison of OxyContin to Morphine, Documents Show," 22 Feb. 2019 Cabot agreed to give Kemble time to recover, and the deposition was rescheduled for March. — Michael Rubinkam, The Seattle Times, "Gas driller backs off demand to have man thrown in jail," 4 Feb. 2019 The Committee received the testimony and related exhibits from the AGO’s depositions of Michael Hafner, Krystal Proctor, and Danny Laub. — kansascity, "Read 2nd report from Missouri House committee investigating Greitens | The Kansas City Star," 24 Apr. 2018 Ohio State felt comfortable enough in hiring him as their defensive coordinator, though that was before McQueary’s deposition had been unsealed. — Jonathan Jones And Conor Orr, SI.com, "Coaching Hires: When Fans Speak, Do Teams Listen?," 9 Jan. 2018 Elway’s comments suggested that he had been asked about the 2016 offer in the deposition. — P.r. Lockhart, Vox, "Colin Kaepernick’s collusion grievance against the NFL, explained," 6 Sep. 2018 Now, her attorney says Karolyi misspoke in the deposition. — Eric Levenson, CNN, "Larry Nassar victims say Texas isn't seriously investigating Karolyi Ranch," 10 May 2018 In the deposition, Karolyi said she wasn't contacted by anyone at the FBI despite it being two years after USA Gymnastics first contacted the agency with the allegations. — Charlotte Carroll, SI.com, "Report: Martha Karolyi Was Informed Of Allegations Against Larry Nassar in June 2015," 3 May 2018 Malinowski’s deposition against her killer was made public last week when it was played for the court as Slager pleaded guilty to her murder. — Adam Carlson, PEOPLE.com, "Mom-of-2 Describes Horror of Boyfriend Lighting Her on Fire as He Pleads to Her Murder: 'Pure Evil'," 11 July 2018

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

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Dictionary Entries near deposition

deposition from the cross

deposit money

deposit of faith

Statistics for deposition

Last Updated

23 Apr 2019

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Time Traveler for deposition

The first known use of deposition was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for deposition

deposition

noun

English Language Learners Definition of deposition

law : a formal statement that someone who has promised to tell the truth makes so that the statement can be used in court especially : a formal statement that is made before a trial by a witness who will not be present at the trial

technical : the action of depositing something (such as sand, snow, or mud) on a surface or area especially over a period of time

formal : the act removing someone from a powerful position : the act of deposing someone

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

deposition

noun

de·po·si·tion | \ ˌdep-ə-ˈzi-shən

, ˌdē-pə-

Medical Definition of deposition

1 : a process of depositing something the deposition and clearance of a metabolic product

2 : something deposited : deposit beta-amyloid depositions in Alzheimer's disease

deposition

noun

de·po·si·tion | \ ˌde-pə-ˈzi-shən

Legal Definition of deposition

1a : a statement that is made under oath by a party or witness (as an expert) in response to oral examination or written questions and that is recorded by an authorized officer (as a court reporter) broadly : affidavit

b : the certified document recording such a statement — compare interrogatory

2 : the hearing at which a deposition is made the deposition takes place where the deponent answers the questions — Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 30(b)(4)

Note: A deposition can be used as a method of discovery, to preserve the testimony of a witness who is likely to become unavailable for trial, or for impeachment of testimony at trial. Depositions are distinguished from affidavits by the requirement that notice and an opportunity to cross-examine the deponent must be given to the other party.