deny

verb

de·​ny di-ˈnī 

dē-

denied; denying; denies

transitive verb

1

: to declare (something) to be untrue

They denied the allegations.

2

: to refuse to admit or acknowledge (something) : disavow

denied responsibility for the vandalism

3

a

: to give a negative answer to

denying the petitioners

b

: to refuse to grant

deny a request

was denied a refund

c

: to restrain (oneself) from gratification of desires

unwilling to deny himself the foods that he loves

4

: to refuse to accept the existence, truth, or validity of

There's no denying her expertise.

You can't deny that he's a good singer.

5

medical : to report or note the absence of (a symptom)

The patient denies pruritus …

—David A. Fisher

6

archaic : decline

denyingly

di-ˈnī-iŋ-lē 

dē-

adverb

Synonyms

• contradict
• disaffirm
• disallow
• disavow
• disclaim
• disconfirm
• disown
• gainsay
• negate
• negative
• refute
• reject
• repudiate

Choose the Right Synonym for deny

deny, gainsay, contradict, contravene mean to refuse to accept as true or valid.

deny implies a firm refusal to accept as true, to grant or concede, or to acknowledge the existence or claims of.

denied the charges

gainsay implies disputing the truth of what another has said.

no one can gainsay her claims

contradict implies an open or flat denial.

her account contradicts his

contravene implies not so much an intentional opposition as some inherent incompatibility.

laws that contravene tradition

Examples of deny in a Sentence

He denied the report that he would be quitting his job.

She denies all the charges that have been made against her.

The police deny that racism is a problem in the department.

Yes, I was there. I don't deny it.

The judge denied their request.

a government that denies its citizens basic freedoms

Recent Examples on the Web

Musk has long cultivated a relationship with Trump, who still denies the results of his prior presidential contest and recently echoed baseless allegations that noncitizen voting could sway the upcoming election. —Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 11 Sep. 2024

While 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens, Saudi Arabia has denied any government involvement in the attacks. —Lauren Del Valle, CNN, 11 Sep. 2024

How all that Israel claimed – and the rest of the news organizations denied or failed to report – that Hamas used mosques, hospitals, and private homes as human shields with no regard for the casualties that ensued (perhaps even planning for them). —Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024

Trump denies any culpability whatsoever for Jan. 6. —Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English denien, borrowed from Anglo-French denier, deneier (also continental Old French), from de- de- (reinforcing the meaning of the base verb) + nier "to renounce, deny, refuse" (after Latin dēnegāre "to deny"), going back to Latin negāre "to say (with the negative of a conjoined clause), deny, say no" — more at negate

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing deny

• deny oneself
• grant/deny access to

Kids Definition

deny

verb

de·​ny di-ˈnī 

denied; denying

1

: to declare not to be true : contradict

deny a report

2

: to refuse to grant

deny a request

3

: to refuse to accept the existence or truth of

Legal Definition

deny

transitive verb

de·​ny

denied; denying

1

: to declare untrue

a party must…admit or deny the allegations

—Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 8(b)

compare avoid

2

: to refuse to grant

denied the motion for a new trial