deprived; depriving
1
: to take something away from
… deprived him of his professorship …—
J. M. Phalen
J. M. Phalenthe risk of injury when the brain is deprived of oxygen
2
: to withhold something from
deprived a citizen of their rights
3
: to remove from office
… the Archbishop … would be deprived and sent to the Tower …—Edith Sitwell
Edith Sitwell4
obsolete
: remove
'Tis honor to deprive dishonored life …—Shakespeare
ShakespeareExamples of deprive in a Sentence
working those long hours was depriving him of his sleep
a prince who had been deprived after those who opposed the monarchy came to power
Recent Examples on the Web
In a deal with federal prosecutors entered Tuesday, former Florissant Officer Julian Alcala pleaded guilty to 20 counts of willfully depriving someone of their right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.
—CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Now, sanctions against these companies are already noticeably depriving the Russian war machine of money, and this needs to be continued.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Boycotting a festival can of course be understood as a form of resistance, yet depriving the people who live there of the films to be shown or of encounters of this kind, for any reason, feels like punishing them, and that does not seem right to me.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 27 Nov. 2025
The network’s resulting internal investigation in 1996 never resolved discrepancies in Bashir’s explanations, Webb alleges in the book — depriving Diana of the chance to learn she was being duped.
—Theresa Braine, Mercury News, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deprive
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CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Now, sanctions against these companies are already noticeably depriving the Russian war machine of money, and this needs to be continued.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Boycotting a festival can of course be understood as a form of resistance, yet depriving the people who live there of the films to be shown or of encounters of this kind, for any reason, feels like punishing them, and that does not seem right to me.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 27 Nov. 2025
The network’s resulting internal investigation in 1996 never resolved discrepancies in Bashir’s explanations, Webb alleges in the book — depriving Diana of the chance to learn she was being duped.
—Theresa Braine, Mercury News, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deprive
Cite this Entry
“Deprive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deprive. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deprive
verb
de·prive
di-ˈprīv 
deprived; depriving
1
: to take something away from
deprive a ruler of power
2
: to stop from having something
deprived of sleep by street noises
deprivation
noun
ˌdep-rə-ˈvā-shən
Medical Definition
deprive
transitive verb
de·prive
di-ˈprīv
deprived; depriving
: to take something away from and especially something that is usually considered essential for mental or physical well-being
a child deprived of emotional support
tissue deprived of oxygen
Legal Definition
deprive
transitive verb
de·prive
deprived; depriving
: to take away or withhold something from
no person shall…be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law—U.S. Constitution amend. V
U.S. Constitution amend. VLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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