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

Regular audits and reviews demonstrate an organization’s commitment to responsible AI deployment. —Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024

The book’s long-story-by-the-fire quality, combined with its fairy-tale deployment of castles, unfair punishments, and the thrumming, powerful natural world, evokes the most affecting children’s literature. —Amanda Parrish Morgan, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2024

The deployment of troops marks a new milestone in North Korean support for Russia's war, Pyongyang already having supplied Moscow with ammunition and weapons -- including ballistic missiles -- since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. —David Brennan, ABC News, 23 Dec. 2024

That deployment marked what the Navy described as its most intense combat since World War II. —Jon Gambrell, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Dec. 2024

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