deployment

noun

de·​ploy·​ment di-ˈplȯi-mənt 

plural deployments

: the act or movement of deploying or the state of being deployed: such as

a

: placement or arrangement (as of military personnel or equipment) in position for a particular use or purpose

deployment of troops

deployment of a sales force

U.S. military assistance for hurricane relief efforts has delayed the deployment of additional forces to Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

—Reuters

… memories of the peace protests that in the 1980s greeted the deployment of nuclear-armed cruise missiles on Greenham Common in Berkshire.

—Tim Luckhurst

also : an instance of such placement (as in a battle zone) for a period of time

On breaks from his job as a guard at the prison Camp Bucca, Iraq … during his last deployment, in 2007, James would retreat to the camp's sand-swept outdoor court and try to perfect his shot.

—Kelli Anderson

b

: an instance of use that involves something opening and spreading out

a pilot's deployment of a parachute after ejecting from the cockpit

These components work together to fully deploy the air bag within 50 milliseconds of impact. After deployment, the air bag will deflate in approximately 100 milliseconds.

—Martin W. Stockel et al.

Examples of deployment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Writer’s self-evolving models are live in deployment with customers today. —Rob Toews, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025

Rocket Lab completed the deployment of a constellation of Internet of Things satellites for French company Kinéis with an Electron launch on Monday. —Ars Technica, 21 Mar. 2025

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem took a trip to Fort Lauderdale on Thursday where a U.S Coast Guard cutter crew offloaded more than 45,000 pounds of cocaine, the largest amount seized during a single deployment. —Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2025

Starlink’s direct-to-cellular service would not require an extra deployment to cover the White House grounds and, more important, only provides text messaging. —Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French déploiement, from déployer "to unfurl, spread out, deploy" + -ment -ment

First Known Use

1781, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing deployment

• counter-deployment

Rhymes for deployment

• employment
• enjoyment
• preemployment
• redeployment
• reemployment
• unemployment
• underemployment