depose

verb

de·​pose di-ˈpōz How to pronounce depose (audio)
dē-
deposed; deposing

transitive verb

1
: to remove from a throne or other high position
plotting to depose the king
a deposed military leader
2
: to put down : deposit
deposing the sacrament in a carved recessFrancis Berry
3
[Middle English, from Medieval Latin deponere, from Late Latin]
a
law : to testify to under oath or by affidavit
deposed before the court that he had seen the defendant enter the building
b
c
law : to take testimony (see testimony sense 1a) from especially by deposition
depose a witness
plaintiffs … were entitled to depose experts retained by the defendantsNational Law Journal

intransitive verb

: to bear witness

Examples of depose in a Sentence

a military junta deposed the dictator after he had bankrupted the country she was nervous when the time to depose before the jury finally arrived
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fink had previously denied the state’s request to further depose Wanda. José Ignacio Castañeda Perez, The Arizona Republic, 15 Feb. 2025 The situation could get even more complicated, as Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman hasn’t ruled out the possibility of deposing Swift as part of the case, which is set to go to trial on March 9, 2026. Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 9 Feb. 2025 More information will likely come out at the Feb. 12 pretrial conference date — set by Lewis Liman, the judge overseeing the case — where both sides will hash out details of the case, including how many witnesses each side expects to depose and the timeline and length of the potential trial. Eric Andersson, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025 This includes superstar Mike Trout, who is scheduled to be deposed on Jan. 15, according to court filings. Sam Blum, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for depose

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French deposer, from Late Latin deponere (perfect indicative deposui), from Latin, to put down

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of depose was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Depose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depose. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

depose

verb
de·​pose di-ˈpōz How to pronounce depose (audio)
deposed; deposing
1
: to remove from a high office
deposed the king
2
: to testify under oath or by a sworn written statement

Legal Definition

depose

verb
de·​pose di-ˈpōz How to pronounce depose (audio)
deposed; deposing

transitive verb

1
: to testify to under oath or by sworn affidavit
2
: to take testimony from especially by deposition
plaintiffs…were entitled to depose experts retained by the defendantsNational Law Journal
compare examine

intransitive verb

: testify
the plaintiff deposed in person to many specific factsMintz v. Atlantic Coast Line R. Co., 72 S.E.2d 38 (1952)

More from Merriam-Webster on depose

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