deed
Americannoun
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something that is done, performed, or accomplished; an act.
Do a good deed every day.
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an exploit or achievement; feat.
brave deeds.
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Often deeds. an act or gesture, especially as illustrative of intentions, one's character, or the like.
Her deeds speak for themselves.
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Law. a writing or document executed under seal and delivered to effect a conveyance, especially of real estate.
verb (used with object)
noun
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something that is done or performed; act
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a notable achievement; feat; exploit
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action or performance, as opposed to words
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law a formal legal document signed, witnessed, and delivered to effect a conveyance or transfer of property or to create a legal obligation or contract
verb
Related Words
See action.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deed
before 900; Middle English dede, Old English dēd, variant of dǣd; cognate with German Tat, Gothic gadēths; see do 1
Explanation
A deed is an action that you perform with intent, like turning in a lost wallet you find in a store. Definitely a good deed. The word deed is often used to describe acts of charity but an action doesn’t have to be good to be called a deed — people go to jail for their criminal deeds. Either way, a deed is something done on purpose. It could be difficult, as anyone who after breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend later told friends, "I did the deed," will know. An unrelated meaning of deed is a legal document that shows who owns a building or land.
Vocabulary lists containing deed
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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Back-Words: Palindromes
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"The Monkey's Paw," Vocabulary from the short story
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Shelby County Register of Deed shared that the office had no record of a deed related to Graceland.
From Salon • May 23, 2024
Eddy died of cancer Tuesday at the Williamson Health hospital in Franklin, Tennessee, according to his wife, Deed Abbate.
From Seattle Times • May 1, 2024
And listeners from across the UK have been getting in touch with their stories, with them all being added to the station's Good Deed Feed.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2024
She contacted one which was making big promises to help with her situation and soon entered into a popular debt solution that is an alternative to bankruptcy - a Protected Trust Deed.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2023
We never understood how this fatal connection had established itself: Henry blamed it on Men of Thought and Deed, but no one knew for sure.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
