de
preposition
from; of (used in French, Spanish, and Portuguese personal names, originally to indicate place of origin).
Jump To:
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de
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DE
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de'
de'prepositiondei (used in Italian names as an elided form ofdei ).
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de-
de-a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin (decide ); also used to indicate privation, removal, and separation (dehumidify ), negation (demerit; derange ), descent (degrade; deduce ), reversal (detract ), intensity (decompound ).
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D.E.
D.E.abbreviationDoctor of Engineering.
de
1 American
[duh, duh, de, di]
/ də, də, dɛ, dɪ /
preposition
DE
2
American
de'
3
American
[duh, de]
/ də, dɛ /
preposition
de-
4
American
D.E.
5
American
abbreviation
-
Doctor of Engineering.
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driver education.
de-
1
British
prefix
-
removal of or from something specified
deforest
dethrone
-
reversal of something
decode
decompose
desegregate
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departure from
decamp
DE
2
British
abbreviation
-
(formerly in Britain) Department of Employment
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Delaware
de
3
British
/ də /
de
4
British
abbreviation
Etymology
Origin of de1
From French, Portuguese, Spanish, from Latin dē
Origin of de-4
Middle English < Latin dē-, prefixal use of dē (preposition) from, away from, of, out of; in some words, < French < Latin dē- or dis- dis- 1
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:
“When you see an 87-year-old being evicted from her home 99.9% of people react negatively, everyone shows solidarity. But this case is more complicated,” said de la Cruz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
A new round of protests was under way Thursday, including a large gathering at Place de la Bastille, the site of the prison that was stormed and torn down in the French Revolution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Brostrom added that Spanish-American Luis de Lecea was likely to share the prize with the duo.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
In the 1770s, Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza led an expedition of settlers into what would later become California, bringing donkeys and horses with him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
“Harry de Vries will be taken to Amsterdam tomorrow. If you want to see him, come promptly at three this afternoon.”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Deere DE -0.52%decrease; down pointing triangle is making a bet that artificial intelligence can help farmers make better decisions—and eventually revive sliding sales of farm equipment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Deere DE -1.37%decrease; down pointing triangle posted higher profit and sales in its fiscal third quarter, as continued growth in the company’s construction equipment business helped to offset ongoing weakness in its production agriculture segment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
A DE spokesperson said all young people, "regardless of gender or faith", have access to, and participate in, RSE programmes.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
A spokesperson for the DE said additional funding was provided by the executive to enable the department to pay School Holiday Food Grants from July 2020.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2026
DE MAINTENON, Fontainebleau Palace, France.—Madame de Maintenon was the second wife of Louis XIV., although no written proof of such a marriage is extant; but, that it took place, is nevertheless certain.
From Shepp's Photographs of the World by James W. Shepp
He was a favorite of Lorenzo de’ Medici, and his paintings have a superficial resemblance both to those of his teacher, Botticelli, and those of his father, Fra Filippo Lippi.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026
Florence's Uffizi Gallery said a tourist fell backwards while trying to "make a meme in front" of a portrait of Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany, by Anton Domenico Gabbiani.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2025
Told during a Zoom interview that Sofia seemed more like Lucrezia Borgia and Catherine de’ Medici than a comic book character, Milioti matter-of-factly says, “That’s certainly incredible company to be in.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2024
They include sketches believed to be the legs of Giuliano de’ Medici, as included in the New Sacristy near the secret room’s entrance.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 31, 2023
On a spring morning in 1478, Lorenzo de’ Medici, or Lorenzo the Magnificent, and his brother Giuliano, the golden boy of the Medici family, arrived for Mass at the Duomo, the iconic Florence cathedral.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Mr. Tisci said he was de- and reconstructing the pillars of the house: trenches, car coats and checks.
From New York Times ● Mar. 11, 2022
While still used in food, now it is mainly mined as a chemical agent, water softener, or a de- icer for roads.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017
“It was a very, very de- pressing time.”
From MSNBC ● Mar. 21, 2015
As a 34-year-old, Leung became the head of the committee in 1988, responsible for drafting the Basic Law, the city’s de- facto constitution adopted after the former British colony was returned to China.
From BusinessWeek ● Nov. 25, 2011
“And, sir,” she said with warning, “it is drooping in the de- scendent.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
The company has raised $350 million from investors including private-equity firm Vitruvian Partners; the venture arm of consulting firm Accenture; JPMorgan’s asset-management unit; Goldman Sachs Alternatives; and D.E.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
Shares fell at the start of the month after the D.E.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
The digital payments company agreed to shareholder D.E.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 20, 2023
FedEx has outlined plans to integrate its disparate businesses, revive its long-troubled Europe operations and appease activist investor D.E.
From Reuters ● Dec. 21, 2022
Further research in this direction was made by D.E.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1 "Châtelet" to "Chicago" by Various
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.
