depose

verb

de·​pose di-ˈpōz 

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 recess

—Francis 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

: affirm, assert

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 defendants

—National Law Journal

intransitive verb

: to bear witness

Synonyms

• defrock
• deprive
• dethrone
• displace
• oust
• uncrown
• unmake
• unseat
• unthrone

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

National News Florida woman charged with threatening health insurance company with ‘delay, deny, depose’ A Florida woman has been charged with threatening her health insurance provider during a phone... —The Denver Post, 15 Dec. 2024

And from a humanitarian perspective, one of the very worst butchers in recent global history has been deposed. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024

But Perón’s efforts to curb the political influence of the Catholic Church antagonized the military, and in September 1955 Perón was deposed in a coup and forced into exile. —Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024

Biden also argued that Syrian President Bashar Assad was deposed due to U.S. support for allies in the region. —Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2024

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

Kids Definition

depose

verb

de·​pose di-ˈpōz 

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 

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 defendants

—National Law Journal

compare examine

intransitive verb

: testify

the plaintiff deposed in person to many specific facts

—Mintz v. Atlantic Coast Line R. Co., 72 S.E.2d 38 (1952)