deprive

verb de·prive \ di-ˈprīv \

Updated on: 21 May 2018

deprived; depriving

transitive verb

1 obsolete : remove

'tis honor to deprive dishonored life
—Shakespeare

2 : to take something away from

deprived him of his professorship
—J. M. Phalen

the risk of injury when the brain is deprived of oxygen

3 : to remove from office

the Archbishop … would be deprived and sent to the Tower
—Edith Sitwell

4 : to withhold something from

deprived a citizen of her rights

See deprive defined for English-language learners

See deprive defined for kids

Examples of deprive in a Sentence

working those long hours was depriving him of his sleep
one of scores of bishops who had been deprived after the anticlericals came to power

Recent Examples of deprive from the Web

Another report, by the authority which administers the scheme, concluded that irrigation in the basin’s upper reaches was still depriving those farther downstream, like Mr McBride, of water.

— The Economist, "Australia’s biggest river is running dry, despite plans to save it," 19 May 2018
Closing the Indian Point nuclear plant, for instance, which both joyously support, would mainly deprive New York of its most important source of climate-friendly energy.

— holman w. jenkins, WSJ, "New York’s Green Energy Roulette," 15 May 2018
The eight-member jury unanimously determined that Officer Francisco Martinez deprived Keunang of his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable force and that Sgt.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Settlement reached in LAPD shooting of homeless black man," 11 May 2018
The new complaint also includes a novel allegation that Backpage deprived the mother of consortium, or company and emotional support, from her daughter.

— paul brinkmann, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Backpage.com faces expanded lawsuit from anti-sex-trafficking group," 9 May 2018
Jefferson's original convictions -- 11 at trial, although one was soon overturned by the judge -- were for soliciting bribes, depriving citizens of honest service, money laundering and using his congressional office as a racketeering enterprise.

— drew broach, NOLA.com, "Ex-Rep. Bill Jefferson, freed from prison, wants to void $392,000 judgment against him," 4 May 2018
Just think of all those fans deprived of dozens of more minutes without any goals.

— chris chase, For The Win, "7 rules in sports that should be changed today," 3 May 2018
Joel had been listed as being in a vegetative state ever since his heart stopped during a medical operation in 2015, depriving his brain of oxygen.

— tracy maness, Houston Chronicle, "Treatment helps adults manage asthma at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights," 30 Apr. 2018
In addition to a First Amendment violation, the defense center also argues the jail didn't provide meaningful notice of the ban, depriving the organization of the opportunity to appeal or challenge it.

— lavendrick smith, charlotteobserver, "Mecklenburg prisoners can't read this magazine. A federal lawsuit aims to change that. | Charlotte Observer," 26 Apr. 2018

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