as in appointing
to appoint as one's representative
he deputized a local citizen to take charge of the situation while he went for reinforcements
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Recent Examples of deputizing
Today, the program allows the Department of Homeland Security to form agreements with state and local law enforcement, deputizing them to enforce federal immigration law.
—
Robin Grammer,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Feb. 2026
State lawmakers have pushed policies that include deputizing campus police departments to assist federal immigration enforcement, restricting partnerships with institutions tied to countries such as China and Venezuela and increasing scrutiny of foreign students.
—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
One part of his strategy has involved deputizing some local and state police forces through a decades-old federal program.
—
Lexi Salazar,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Vance also announced that the administration was deputizing a new assistant attorney general to prosecute the abuse of government assistance programs in response to growing attention to fraud in childcare programs in Minnesota.
—
Michelle L. Price,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
Lang’s proposals have raised concerns among legal experts, who say deputizing private militias for immigration enforcement could be dangerous.
—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
The message being sent is that the FCC is deputizing station owners to take on their network partners.
—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Oct. 2025
In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis has taken up the anti-immigrant campaign aggressively, deputizing law-enforcement officers to assist ICE in its roundups.
—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Robin Grammer,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Feb. 2026
State lawmakers have pushed policies that include deputizing campus police departments to assist federal immigration enforcement, restricting partnerships with institutions tied to countries such as China and Venezuela and increasing scrutiny of foreign students.
—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
One part of his strategy has involved deputizing some local and state police forces through a decades-old federal program.
—
Lexi Salazar,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Vance also announced that the administration was deputizing a new assistant attorney general to prosecute the abuse of government assistance programs in response to growing attention to fraud in childcare programs in Minnesota.
—
Michelle L. Price,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
Lang’s proposals have raised concerns among legal experts, who say deputizing private militias for immigration enforcement could be dangerous.
—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
The message being sent is that the FCC is deputizing station owners to take on their network partners.
—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Oct. 2025
In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis has taken up the anti-immigrant campaign aggressively, deputizing law-enforcement officers to assist ICE in its roundups.
—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deputizing
Verb
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Now Starmer is going due to unpopularity, largely self-inflicted, after policy errors including scrapping the pensioners’ winter fuel allowance, hitting small farmers with inheritance tax increases and appointing a close friend of the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein as ambassador to Washington.
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The schism prompted Faye to fire Sonko and dissolve his government before appointing new ministers.
Verb
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Set clear rules for delegating authority to agents—including scope, duration, purpose and revocation.
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The policy expands upon a school’s role in delegating speech rules, requiring them to act in a neutral manner with students.
Cite this Entry
“Deputizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deputizing. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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