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
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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:
It will not have its own address, tax parcel or deed.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
"The way this deed was committed makes this case unusual, as well as the manner of the confession," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
An ill homeowner can file a quitclaim deed to get their name off a jointly owned property, or if they are the sole owner, they can transfer the deed to another person.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 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
It was a good deed; but the Rider was soon horsed again.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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
Or can we simply use the transfer-on-death deeds for the house and car, and use the life insurance to pay for funeral costs?
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 27, 2026
According to one present, the prime minister said: "We need to be on the front foot. We need to be bolder. Let's get on and do things. It's about deeds not words."
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Defendants’ contemporaneous words and deeds confirm that the challenged actions were based on a desire to make a public example out of Anthropic for its ‘arrogance’ in criticizing the government,” Lin wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
She turned it this way and that, watching the little good deeds she had done throughout her life shimmer on the surface.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Keys come with deeded ownership to a sliver of non-buildable beachfront.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Each residence will also include deeded beach access, allowing homeowners to enjoy both ocean and riverfront living.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 1, 2026
The federal government eventually deeded the lighthouse to Del Norte County, which now leases it to the nonprofit for $1 a month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2025
Armed Puyallup activists occupy Cushman Hospital in Tacoma for a week and succeed in getting it deeded to the tribe.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 14, 2024
It was too bad she hadn’t made it clear that day at the store that Grandpa deeded her the furniture, too.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
“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
Many people spoke against the general idea of deeding public property to private interests, though none called for the statue’s removal.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 22, 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
Next, he demonstrated how crazy he really was, by deeding over to his family, unsolicited, the ten acres on Tarwater Flat, the house, barn, outbuildings, and water-rights.
From The Red One by Jack London
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
