deploy
Americanverb (used with object)
-
deploys,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deployed,
past participle, past
-
deploying
present participle
-
Military. to spread out (troops) so as to form an extended front or line.
-
to arrange in a position of readiness, or to move strategically or appropriately.
to deploy a battery of new missiles.
verb (used without object)
-
deploys,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deployed,
past participle, past
-
deploying
present participle
-
to spread out strategically or in an extended front or line.
-
to come into a position ready for use.
The plane can't land unless the landing gear deploys.
verb
-
to adopt or cause to adopt a battle formation, esp from a narrow front formation
-
(tr) to redistribute (forces) to or within a given area
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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deploysimple
-
deployssimple
-
have deployedperfect
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has deployedperfect
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am deployingprogressive
-
are deployingprogressive
-
is deployingprogressive
-
have been deployingperfect progressive
-
has been deployingperfect progressive
Past
-
deployedsimple
-
had deployedperfect
-
was deployingprogressive
-
were deployingprogressive
-
had been deployingperfect progressive
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
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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.
See Examples For:
Don Haider-Markel, a political science professor at the University of Kansas, said it is still surprising to see the party deploy the president in Republican strongholds so close to the election.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
“We’re seeing enterprises really deploy governed AI at scale, and our Q3 results show that ServiceNow is becoming even more strategic to that work,” Mastantuono told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
These mechanisms are used, among other things, to deploy wing flaps during the plane's landing approach, helping to slow the aircraft.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
While she conceded dogs might become too reliant on treats if that’s the only method, she said seasoned trainers know to deploy a mix of motivators.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
He was aware of the lingering reticence of the eastern men and seemed hell-bent on winning them with flattery that verged on unction—a tactic that Louis Sullivan had known Burnham to deploy with great effect.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
The more electric trucks a company deploys, the more funds it’s eligible to receive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
“Because management deploys capital into both public equities and owning entire businesses, analyst earnings estimates understate how cheap the company is.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Digital Nasional’s 5G network could also improve as it deploys an additional 100 MHz of spectrum over the next 12 months, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
He called on the United States, European Union and Arab countries to support Lebanon's military as it deploys across the south.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
She leaps from her perch, deploys a tiny parachute, and executes a soft landing—straddling the thrumming ray gun as if it was a bucking bronco.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
However, Western officials could not comment on the final make-up and shape of the force that could be deployed to Ukraine if the fighting stops.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Singer and Jonathan Pollock, the firm’s two chief executives and chief investment officers, run one of the hedge-fund industry’s largest pools of capital, deployed across strategies spanning activist campaigns, buyouts, distressed-debt investing and commodities trading.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
"Now the slightest piece of information is being turned into intelligence reports, and officers are being deployed left, right and centre."
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
The resolution asks to give cities a say in how driverless cars are deployed and monitored.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
If the memory serum virus is deployed, that memory will be erased from her mother’s mind.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
Fifty-one airlines are currently deploying Starlink on their planes, according to an online tracker.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
US tech tycoon Elon Musk is "truly a genius" for deploying thousands of satellites into orbit, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday, as Moscow seeks to develop its own satellite internet network.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
American shoppers are convinced that businesses—including retailers, restaurants, ride-shares and grocers—are deploying technology to charge higher prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Officials have acknowledged underestimating the scale of the demonstrations and deploying police forces that were too static to contain the unrest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
The New York Times has a history of deploying teams of talented people for long periods on big, hard subjects.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
