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
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
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have been deedingperfect progressive
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has been deedingperfect progressive
Past
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deededsimple
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had deededperfect
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was deedingprogressive
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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.
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
Listen to Haroon Rashid's show on BBC Asian Network to hear the final tally of the Good Deed Feed.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2024
What Cassandra did not realise was that the company would receive £1,000 "referral fee" simply for passing her details on to a Trust Deed provider.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2023
Dirty Deed said, “What, you ain’t gonna blow us some notes? We want to hear what you got, Mr. Three- Weeks-from-Now.”
From "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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.
