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
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(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
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deployssimple
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have deployedperfect
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has deployedperfect
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am deployingprogressive
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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
ASVAB Word Knowledge
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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:
“Over the last two years, Meta has decisively proven that it can effectively deploy AI to materially improve its customer experience,” Mahaney said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Organisations deploy bots to buy expired domain names linked to reputable websites, or have desirable domains like .org or .org.uk.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Major autonomous-driving companies are getting ready to turn Las Vegas into a robotaxi battleground after Nevada gave three big players the OK to deploy more cars.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
The automaker plans to soon launch its Cybercab in Austin, Texas, and got the nod to deploy thousands of vehicles in Nevada.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Within a matter of hours, the Sixer high command decided to deploy a new strategy.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Big Ridley commands armies of extras, builds enormous sets and deploys cutting-edge visual effects to create places that no longer exist — or never did.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
The coast guard also deploys its ships alongside the navy at times to shadow Chinese ships near Taiwan’s contiguous zone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
As Lebanon's army deploys in the southern village of Zawtar al-Gharbiya, Hassan Sbeih is among those reassured by the troops and hoping the move will soon extend to areas still occupied by Israel.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Deployment doesn’t just unleash the airbag; it also deploys the car’s supplemental restraint system, the entire airbag system.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 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
Public health officials have been deployed to monitor conditions and help prevent disease outbreaks.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
A ban on "hulla parties" -- groups deployed to drive elephants away using "fireballs" and burning stakes -- is required, it said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
On this front, too, Ms. Southon’s sardonic commentary is deployed against the willful blindness of previous generations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
For now, it’s far behind Waymo, which has deployed 3,871 robotaxis across six states, according to the tracker.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
The dogs would get deployed when reporters came to learn about the importance of American trade and exports or, later, to hear Barack speak in favor of Merrick Garland, his pick for the Supreme Court.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Inzerillo said when he tries to recall where he heard a fact, he can get a quick answer by deploying an agent to check meeting transcripts shared on Slack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Authorities have recommended measures including providing safer boats and life jackets, dredging waterways, deploying water guards at jetties and terminals, and ensuring boat operators are properly trained and licensed.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
He objected when a collaborator proposed deploying chatbots for actual therapy, saying that “the sort of caring that machines . . . can deliver is very impoverished indeed.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
It was also deploying helicopters to bring emergency supplies directly to survivors in isolated communities, the Antara state news agency quoted the commander of El Tari Air Base in Kupang as saying.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
But they also were aware that deploying a weapon of such enormous power would not be a military action; the Super’s value would be strictly “psychological,” General Bradley declared.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
