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
The goal of bringing a case against a company like Google is to stop the anti-competitive behavior, deprive it of the fruits of its violations, and make sure markets are competitive going forward.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2025
The intent was to deprive the Kremlin of revenue to fund its war in Ukraine, forcing the Russian government either to sell its oil at a discount or divert money for a costly alternative shipping network.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2025
The intent was both to deprive the Iranian program of expertise and to discourage promising scientists from working on nuclear weapons.
—Yossi Melman, ProPublica, 7 Aug. 2025
Yet the rule has ended up increasing poverty and violence in the DRC while depriving the U.S supply chain of access to critical minerals needed for everything from smartphones and laptops to medical equipment.
—John Berlau, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deprive
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Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2025
The intent was to deprive the Kremlin of revenue to fund its war in Ukraine, forcing the Russian government either to sell its oil at a discount or divert money for a costly alternative shipping network.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2025
The intent was both to deprive the Iranian program of expertise and to discourage promising scientists from working on nuclear weapons.
—Yossi Melman, ProPublica, 7 Aug. 2025
Yet the rule has ended up increasing poverty and violence in the DRC while depriving the U.S supply chain of access to critical minerals needed for everything from smartphones and laptops to medical equipment.
—John Berlau, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 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 20 Aug. 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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