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deputy

noun, often attributive
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dep·​u·​ty | \ ˈde-pyə-tē How to pronounce deputy (audio) \
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 The deputy, Matt Pottinger, was dismayed by the attack on the Capitol and Trump’s incitement of protesters, the people said. — BostonGlobe.com, "Trump officials resign after Capitol mayhem," 7 Jan. 2021 Three people, including a sheriff's deputy, were injured Saturday in a shootout at a Walmart in Virginia, authorities said. — Dennis Romero, NBC News, "Shootout at Virginia Walmart injures three people, including deputy," 3 Jan. 2021 Emeryville’s new police chief is a former BART deputy chief and Orinda police chief with 30 years of experience in law enforcement. — Sarah Ravani, SFChronicle.com, "Former BART deputy chief named Emeryville police chief," 31 Dec. 2020 CoreLogic deputy chief economist Selma Hepp wrote that possible bumps in the housing market in 2021 may be smoothed out with COVID-19 relief programs from lawmakers. — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, "San Diego home prices have biggest gain in 6 years; third highest in nation," 29 Dec. 2020 On December 4, a sheriff's deputy killed 23-year-old Casey Goodson on his grandmother's doorstep. — Victoria Albert, CBS News, "Ohio cop fired over fatal shooting of Andre Hill," 29 Dec. 2020 Readers also sounded off, resulting in the resignation of the paper’s editorial-page editor, James Bennet, and the reassignment of his deputy, James Dao. — Washington Post, "How the dusty old op-ed pages became the red-hot outrage-generating machine of 2020," 28 Dec. 2020 The tests provide valuable health information on the individual level and also represent a contribution to scientific understanding, said Angela Cabellon, the county’s chief innovation officer and the deputy chief administrative officer. — Alison Knezevich, baltimoresun.com, "A Maryland county offered antibody tests to all its employees. They learned their COVID precautions are working.," 24 Dec. 2020 Another Black man, Casey Goodson Jr., was fatally shot at his front door by a sheriff's deputy from a different department, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. — Keith Allen, CNN, "Columbus, Ohio, police chief moves to terminate one officer, investigate others in fatal shooting of Andre Hill," 24 Dec. 2020

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.

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First Known Use of deputy

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for deputy

Middle English, from Anglo-French deputé, past participle of deputer

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Time Traveler for deputy

Time Traveler

The first known use of deputy was in the 15th century

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Statistics for deputy

Last Updated

17 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Deputy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deputy. Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for deputy

deputy

noun
dep·​u·​ty | \ ˈde-pyə-tē How to pronounce deputy (audio) \
plural deputies

Kids Definition of deputy

: a person who officially acts for or in place of another

deputy

noun
dep·​u·​ty | \ ˈde-pyə-tē How to pronounce deputy (audio) \
plural deputies

Legal Definition of deputy

1 : a person appointed as a substitute with power to act
2 : a second in command or assistant who usually takes charge when his or her superior is absent specifically : deputy sheriff

History and Etymology for deputy

Middle French deputé person appointed to exercise authority, from past participle of deputer to appoint, depute

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More from Merriam-Webster on deputy

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for deputy

Nglish: Translation of deputy for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of deputy for Arabic Speakers

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