deputy

noun, often attributive

dep·u·ty | \ ˈde-pyə-tē

plural deputies

Definition of deputy

1a : a person appointed as a substitute with power to act

b : a second in command or assistant who usually takes charge when his or her superior is absent

2 : a member of the lower house of some legislative assemblies

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Examples of deputy in a Sentence

the club president sent a deputy to the conference to vote on our behalf a deputy supervisor to help out with routine tasks

Recent Examples on the Web

Chinedu Okobi, a 36-year-old unarmed black man with a history of mental illness, died in October after a confrontation with five San Mateo County sheriff’s deputies who tased him four times. — Zusha Elinson, WSJ, "No Charges in California Taser Death of Unarmed Black Man," 1 Mar. 2019 Reporters were briefed on the details after the speech by deputy Gov. Dan Hynes and Pritzker budget director Alexis Sturm, but the governor’s press office prohibited reporters from quoting the two directly. — John O'connor, The Seattle Times, "Pritzker’s $39B budget relies on taxing marijuana, betting," 20 Feb. 2019 Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, told The New York Times thousands of people called the United Nations refugee agency to express support for Rahaf. — Jewel Wicker, Teen Vogue, "Saudi Teen Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun May Get Asylum From Australia After Fleeing Her Family's Alleged Mistreatment," 8 Jan. 2019 Ars contacted Patrick Berarducci, ConsenSys' deputy general counsel, and the co-chair of The Brooklyn Project, who did not respond. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Civil unrest: How a blockchain-based journalism startup bumbled its launch," 23 Dec. 2018 In their car, along with numerous bags of food from restaurants along the Treasure Coast, deputies found more than $500 in counterfeit $20 and $50 bills, along with more than $1,500 in real U.S. currency. — Madeleine Marr, miamiherald, "She paid for her meal at Dunkin' Donuts, cops say. But there was a problem.," 6 July 2018 Sammy Shehata was arrested on drug possession charges after deputies found 7 grams of marijuana and 11 grams of hashish. — Lisa Maria Garza, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Former Orange deputy pleads guilty to stealing cash, credit cards from drug suspect, court records show," 11 July 2018 State Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino said Mr. Pompeo has made filling senior-level vacancies one of his highest priorities. — Jessica Donati, WSJ, "Pence Asks U.S. Diplomats to Back Trump’s Push for a Border Wall," 16 Jan. 2019 Until that person is named and confirmed, Zinke’s deputy David Bernhardt, a former oil executive, will likely take over the agency. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Ryan Zinke to resign as Interior Secretary at the end of the year," 15 Dec. 2018

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