deploy
Americanverb (used with object)
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Military. to spread out (troops) so as to form an extended front or line.
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to arrange in a position of readiness, or to move strategically or appropriately.
to deploy a battery of new missiles.
verb (used without object)
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to spread out strategically or in an extended front or line.
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to come into a position ready for use.
The plane can't land unless the landing gear deploys.
verb
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to adopt or cause to adopt a battle formation, esp from a narrow front formation
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(tr) to redistribute (forces) to or within a given area
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have deployedperfect
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has deployedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been deployingperfect progressive
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has been deployingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is deployingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are deployingprogressive
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deployssingular 3rd person
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deployingparticiple
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am deployingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had deployedperfect
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had been deployingperfect progressive
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was deployingprogressive singular
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were deployingprogressive plural
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deployedsimple
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deployedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of deploy
First recorded in 1470–80; from French déployer, equivalent to dé- prefix with negative force + ployer “to fold”; see dis- 1, ploy
Explanation
To deploy is to move into fighting formation, the way a military commander might deploy troops in preparation for a battle. You'll almost always find the word deploy in a military context. The Latin plicāre means "fold." By adding dis- to it, to get displicāre, we get the idea of an "unfolding," or distributing. This is the basis of the word deploy, and it gives us a good mental image of the sending out, or "unfolding," of troops in a military plan. To deploy means more than just dispersing troops, however — there is usually a specific formation in mind, consistent with military strategies. And you can deploy nonmilitary assets, too, like accounting teams before an IRS audit.
Vocabulary lists containing deploy
ASVAB Word Knowledge
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A Long Way Gone
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John F. Kennedy's Address to the American People on the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
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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.
Scientists believe a single solar panel failing to fully deploy blocked the communications antenna, leading to a loss of contact.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
The company had said it intends to deploy its first satellites as early as 2028 and begin monetizing capacity by the end of the decade.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
Pledges to quickly deploy technology and ties cultivated with the Pentagon have helped land new contracts totaling billions of dollars.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
But unlike Ness, who did have real crime to deal with, the justifications Vance and Miller deploy are baseless nonsense.
From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026
Shortly after returning to Fort Ord, Adams received orders to deploy to Vietnam.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
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.
