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

Via video-conferencing, Malinowski answered questions from prosecutors and was subject to cross-examination by Slager’s attorney, all of whom had gathered in a courtroom for the deposition. — 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 The woman’s attorney says the governor’s attorneys mischaracterized her deposition testimony. — Jason Hancock, Lindsay Wise And Bryan Lowry, kansascity, "Judge issues gag order in Gov. Greitens’ invasion of privacy case," 27 Apr. 2018 O’Neill is expected to rule Monday on what could be the Cosby team’s last line of attack in the courtroom: whether jurors can hear deposition testimony that Cosby’s lawyers say could have insights into what led Constand to accuse him. — Michael R. Sisak, BostonGlobe.com, "Bill Cosby’s defense team focuses on swaying public opinion, not jurors," 23 Apr. 2018 O’Neill is expected to rule Monday on what could be the Cosby team’s last line of attack in the courtroom: whether jurors can hear deposition testimony that Cosby’s lawyers say could have insights into what led Constand to accuse him. — Michael R. Sisak, The Seattle Times, "Cosby defense team lobs attacks in court of public opinion," 22 Apr. 2018 Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele has objected to reading the deposition testimony in court as a substitute, arguing that prosecutors wouldn’t be able to cross-examine Ms. Williams. — Kris Maher, WSJ, "Bill Cosby’s Defense Searches for Missing Witness, as Sex-Assault Trial Nears End," 21 Apr. 2018 Like Cosby's first defense team, his current lawyers objected to the jury hearing the deposition testimony and his 2005 statements to police who were investigating Constand's accusations. — Jayme Deerwester, USA TODAY, "Bill Cosby retrial, Day 8: Jury to hear comedian's testimony about quaaludes and sex," 18 Apr. 2018 Here’s what happened, according to police reports and deposition testimony. — Michael Gordon, charlotteobserver, "A series of mistakes by panicked police led to a Charlotte man's death, lawyer says | Charlotte Observer," 3 Apr. 2018 Trebatoski declined to comment on the deposition testimony. — Cary Spivak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Lawyer Christopher Hale settles lawsuit stemming from groping of beer cart attendant on golf course," 5 Mar. 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

30 Sep 2018

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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

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

: 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.