deserve

verb

de·serve | \ di-ˈzərv

deserved; deserving

Definition of deserve

: to be worthy of : merit deserves another chance

: to be worthy, fit, or suitable for some reward or requital … have become recognized as they deserve.— T. S. Eliot a worse punishment than he deserved

Other Words from deserve Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about deserve

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Choose the Right Synonym for deserve

deserve, merit, and earn mean to be worthy of something. deserve is used when a person should rightly receive something good or bad because of his or her actions or character. A hard worker deserves to be rewarded. merit is used when someone or something is especially worthy of reward, punishment, or consideration. These students merit special praise. earn is used when a person has spent time and effort and gets what he or she deserves. You've earned a long vacation.

Examples of deserve in a Sentence

the team really deserved that victory after the way they played

Recent Examples on the Web

New parents deserve nothing short of sweeping and massive policy change to ensure that they are protected and supported after welcoming a child. — SELF, "Actually, Maternity Leave Is Not a Vacation," 20 Aug. 2019 Because there’s so many people that are deserving to be out. — Kenneth E. Hartman, Harper's magazine, "Life after Life," 16 Sep. 2019 Your new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11 Pro Max deserves a dazzling new case. — CNN Money, "Protect your iPhone 11 with these stylish and rugged cases," 16 Sep. 2019 Let’s face it: The Jaguars never deserved Jalen Ramsey. — Steven Ruiz, For The Win, "5 NFL contenders that should trade for Jalen Ramsey," 16 Sep. 2019 Their jobs serve their careers, and their careers serve their dreams, and one of Friends’ most treasured convictions is that ambition deserves its own happy ending. — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, "On Chandler Bing’s Job," 12 Sep. 2019 But does this nomadic people deserve its outsized reputation? — Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, "Who were the ruthless warriors behind Attila the Hun?," 12 Sep. 2019 The innocent thousands who perished on that terrible day deserve to be remembered with honor and truth. — John Mccain, Popular Mechanics, "John McCain: The 9/11 Conspiracy Myths and the Truth Under Attack," 10 Sep. 2019 But an outsider artist who created something as weirdly funky as Dolemite deserves a portrait to match. — John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Dolemite Is My Name': Film Review | TIFF 2019," 8 Sep. 2019

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