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 her 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
Tapper believes that the effort of family and his longtime staff members to hide Biden’s condition deprived the Democratic Party of the chance to determine if its chances were better with another candidate, who would have benefited from more time to mount a campaign against Trump.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
Sixteen Penn swimmers anonymously signed a letter claiming that Thomas' participation deprived them of fair opportunities.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025
Russell, who was 23 years old at the time of the shooting, is charged with one count of depriving Bils of his rights under color of law and one count of using and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
—Alex Riggins, Mercury News, 14 May 2025
As of 2022, 73% of people had access to clean cooking, according to data gathered by the United Nations, with Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa most deprived.
—Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deprive
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Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
Sixteen Penn swimmers anonymously signed a letter claiming that Thomas' participation deprived them of fair opportunities.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025
Russell, who was 23 years old at the time of the shooting, is charged with one count of depriving Bils of his rights under color of law and one count of using and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
—Alex Riggins, Mercury News, 14 May 2025
As of 2022, 73% of people had access to clean cooking, according to data gathered by the United Nations, with Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa most deprived.
—Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 9 May 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 24 May. 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?
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