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
After an awesomely hokey prologue that deprives Det.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Research published in the Journal of Sleep Research in 2021 found that people who commonly woke up in the night and had trouble getting back to sleep on a nightly basis—effectively depriving themselves of restorative sleep—had a nearly 40% higher risk of developing dementia.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 23 Oct. 2025
Capping the number of units that are city wide will only deprive people of their property rights, drive up the value of existing permits and lead to underground STRs.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 22 Oct. 2025
Planting these crops too close to apple trees deprives both brassicas and apple trees of nutrients and leads to stunted plants and poor crop yields.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deprive
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Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Research published in the Journal of Sleep Research in 2021 found that people who commonly woke up in the night and had trouble getting back to sleep on a nightly basis—effectively depriving themselves of restorative sleep—had a nearly 40% higher risk of developing dementia.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 23 Oct. 2025
Capping the number of units that are city wide will only deprive people of their property rights, drive up the value of existing permits and lead to underground STRs.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 22 Oct. 2025
Planting these crops too close to apple trees deprives both brassicas and apple trees of nutrients and leads to stunted plants and poor crop yields.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 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 6 Nov. 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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