Dictionary

depose en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /dɪˈpəʊz/ (UK)
• /diˈpoʊz/ (US)
• /dəˈpoʊz/ (US)
• (US) audio

Etymology

Recorded since c.1300, from Middle English, from Old French deposer, from de- (“down”) + poser (“to put, place”). Deposition (1494 in the legal sense) belongs to deposit, but that related word and depose became thoroughly confused.

Meanings

1. (literally, transitive) To put down; to lay down; to deposit; to lay aside; to put away.
   • additional mud deposed upon it 1695, John Woodward, “(please specify the page)”, in An Essay toward a Natural History of the Earth: And Terrestrial Bodies, Especially Minerals: […], London: […] Ric[hard] Wilkin […], →OCLC:
2. (transitive) To remove (a leader) from (high) office without killing (them).
   • A deposed monarch may go into exile as pretender to the lost throne, hoping to be restored in a subsequent revolution.
   • The 1840s saw a further escalation, with new laws treating most slave ships captured as pirates, and a number of military expeditions being mounted to destroy slaving centres on the African coast and depose, or even kill, remaining local kings and chiefs who had refused to end slavery in their territory. 2018 December 1, Drachinifel, 8:35 from the start, in Anti-Slavery Patrols - The West Africa Squadron, archived from the original on 29 Nov 2024:
   • a tyrant over his subjects, and therefore worthy to be deposed 1643, William Prynne, “(please specify |part=1 to 4, or Appendix)”, in The Soveraigne Power of Parliaments and Kingdomes: […], London: […] Michael Sparke Senior, →OCLC:
3. (intransitive) To give evidence or testimony, especially in response to interrogation during a deposition.
4. (transitive) To interrogate and elicit testimony from during a deposition, typically by a lawyer.
   • Did he really take Beatrice out for pizza on March 10, 2001, as he claimed? If we deposed the princesses, his family members could potentially poke holes in his alibi. 2025 October 20, Caroline Davies, quoting Virginia Giuffre, “Prince Andrew tried to hire ‘internet trolls’ to hassle Virginia Giuffre, book claims”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
   • Depose him in the justice of his cause. 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
   • After we deposed the claimant we had enough evidence to avoid a trial.
5. (intransitive) To take or swear an oath.
6. To testify; to bear witness; to claim; to assert; to affirm.
   • to depose the yearly rent or valuation of lands c. 1598, Francis Bacon, The Office of Compositions for Alienations:

Forms

Antonyms

restore

Deriveds

deposable · undeposed · indeposable · undeposable · deposal

Relateds

deposit · depositio de bene esse · deposition · deponent

Synonyms

declare · depone · testify

Translations (62)

hu eltávolít (to remove (a leader) from office) · ga aithríoghadh (to remove (a leader) from office) · nl neerleggen (to put - or lay something down) · de niederlegen (to put - or lay something down) · cs svrhnout (to remove (a leader) from office) · bg депонирам (to put - or lay something down) · sv avsätta (to remove (a leader) from office) · nl verhoren (to interrogate and elicit testimony) · pl odwoływać (to remove (a leader) from office) · nl uit het ambt ontzetten (to remove (a leader) from office) · es desponer (to give evidence or testimony) · es deponer (to give evidence or testimony) · fi suistaa vallasta (to remove (a leader) from office) · nl onttronen (to interrogate and elicit testimony) · cs vypovídat pod přísahou (to give evidence or testimony) · de entthronen (to remove (a leader) from office) · ro depune (to put - or lay something down) · pl odwołać (to remove (a leader) from office) · de verhören (to interrogate and elicit testimony) · de absetzen (to remove (a leader) from office) · ru низлага́ть (to remove (a leader) from office) · de bezeugen (to give evidence or testimony) · bg давам показания (to give evidence or testimony) · hu tanúsít (to give evidence or testimony) · es deposar (to give evidence or testimony) · pl dymisjonować (to remove (a leader) from office) · cs svědčit pod přísahou (to give evidence or testimony) · bg детронирам (to remove (a leader) from office) · es desponer (to remove (a leader) from office) · ro detronare (to remove (a leader) from office) · ro mărturisi (to give evidence or testimony) · nl afzetten (to remove (a leader) from office) · nl laten getuigen (to interrogate and elicit testimony) · he הדיח (to remove (a leader) from office) · nl onttronen (to remove (a leader) from office) · sh svrgnuti (to remove (a leader) from office) · arz عزل (to remove (a leader) from office) · nl eed getuigenis/ afleggen afnemen (to interrogate and elicit testimony) · de unter Eid m aussagen (to give evidence or testimony) · hu letesz (to remove (a leader) from office) · pl zdetronizować (to remove (a leader) from office) · pt depor (to remove (a leader) from office) · ro a depune mărturie (to give evidence or testimony) · mi whakataka (to remove (a leader) from office) · pl zdymisjonować (to remove (a leader) from office) · es deponer (to remove (a leader) from office) · pl detronizować (to remove (a leader) from office) · hy գահընկեց անել (to remove (a leader) from office) · de deponieren (to put - or lay something down) · nl een/de eed afleggen/ zweren (to take an oath) · la dēpōnō (to remove (a leader) from office) · cs sesadit (to remove (a leader) from office) · ga fianaise a thabhairt (to give evidence or testimony) · pt depor (to give evidence or testimony) · hy տապալել (to remove (a leader) from office) · bg давам клетва (to take an oath) · nl getuigenis afleggen (to give evidence or testimony) · ga (Ceannaire) do briseadh amach (to remove (a leader) from office) · nl getuigen (to give evidence or testimony) · nl uit het ambt ontzetten (to interrogate and elicit testimony) · cs zbavit funkce (to remove (a leader) from office) · ru низложи́ть (to remove (a leader) from office)