deed
Americannoun
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deeds
plural
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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)
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deeds,
present (3rd person singular)
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deeded,
past participle, past
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deeding
present participle
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
Synonym Usage
See action.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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deedsimple
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deedssimple
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have deededperfect
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has deededperfect
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am deedingprogressive
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are deedingprogressive
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is deedingprogressive
-
have been deedingperfect progressive
-
has been deedingperfect progressive
Past
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deededsimple
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had deededperfect
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was deedingprogressive
-
were deedingprogressive
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had been deedingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
Details about who ultimately will hold the deed to the 35-acre property weren’t made public.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Now that they have officially settled into their custom abode, Biles—who is listed on the deed alongside her mother, Nellie—has put the Spring home on the market for $1.2 million.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
You can also add a transfer-on-death deed to your home.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
Officials contend the discrepancy between the computer count and the paper tally is “a good deed that went punished” — the result of exhausted officials being handed an extra-credit project they couldn’t quite execute.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
They know that they cannot save themselves, not by any courage or endurance or great deed.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
They also reported suspicious real estate transactions by Von Ferdinand, including quick deeds to himself for all three of Jett’s properties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Rantzen also devised and presented Hearts of Gold, a programme that celebrated previously unknown people who had been responsible for good deeds.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Not many recall his reported invocation of another work of Sanskrit poetry that reads, “In sleep, in confusion, in the depths of shame/The good deeds a man has done before defend him.”
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
You also have a lot of assets — property and retirement funds — that should have listed beneficiaries and transfer-on-death deeds.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
The worst criminal of all, with a record of many bad deeds, was a very cocky and arrogant man named Gines de Pasamonte.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Keys come with deeded ownership to a sliver of non-buildable beachfront; they often stay in the same family for generations, though a handful sell on the open market each year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
“We have Intracoastal access, seven boat slips, and private deeded beach access,” Cameron said.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 1, 2026
The Brick applied and was deeded the statue, taking physical possession on Jan. 6, 2022.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
He was sentenced to probation for four years and deeded the property back to the town in 2014.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2025
It was originally deeded as “Good Luck,” but never quite lived up to the name.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
“I’m wondering, have you ever planned on deeding any of your personal property or property of the Smithsonian to any of these tribes?” he asked Hartig.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
I settled my father’s estate, but found a will deeding a mobile home to his stepson.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 7, 2026
Most of the people who spoke against deeding the statue, though, said they want to see it remain in place under public ownership.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 7, 2022
His chairmanship was a capstone of a long career serving his people, particularly as a spokesperson for his tribe and a leader in deeding the tribe’s first land into trust and developing a casino.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2022
The farce of deeding the corporation's sections to these fictitious purchasers was solemnly gone through with at Ruggles's office, the Railroad guaranteeing them possession.
From The Octopus : A story of California by Frank Norris
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