deposition

American  

[dep-uh-zish-uhn, dee-puh-] / ˌdɛp əˈzɪʃ ən, ˌdi pə- /

noun

1. removal from an office or position.

2. the act or process of depositing.

   deposition of the documents with the Library of Congress.

3. the state of being deposited or precipitated.

   deposition of soil at the mouth of a river.

4. something that is deposited.

5. Law.

   1. the giving of testimony under oath.

   2. the testimony so given.

   3. a statement under oath, taken down in writing, to be used in court in place of the spoken testimony of the witness.

6. Ecclesiastical.

   1. the interment of the body of a saint.

   2. the reinterment of the body or the relics of a saint.

7. (initial capital letter) a work of art depicting Christ being lowered from the Cross.

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deposition ¹ British  

/ ˌdiːpə-, ˌdɛpəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. law

   1. the giving of testimony on oath

   2. the testimony so given

   3. the sworn statement of a witness used in court in his absence

2. the act or instance of deposing

3. the act or an instance of depositing

4. something that is deposited; deposit

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Deposition ² British  

/ ˌdiːpə-, ˌdɛpəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. the taking down of Christ's body from the Cross or a representation of this

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deposition Scientific  

/ dĕp′ə-zĭsh′ən /

1. The accumulation or laying down of matter by a natural process, as the laying down of sediments in a river or the accumulation of mineral deposits in a bodily organ.

2. The process of changing from a gas to a solid without passing through an intermediate liquid phase. Carbon dioxide, at a pressure of one atmosphere, undergoes deposition at about −78 degrees Celsius.

3. Compare sublimation

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Other Word Forms

• depositional adjective
• postdepositional adjective

Etymology

Origin of deposition

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin dēpositiōn-, stem of dēpositiō “a putting aside, testimony, burial,” equivalent to Latin dēposit(us) “laid down” ( deposit ) + -iō -ion

Explanation

A deposition is a statement made in court. A deposition can be made outside of court, too — after a crime, a witness might give a deposition. Then that written or recorded deposition can be used as evidence in the courtroom. The word deposition is often used in a legal context, but a deposition can also be more like a deposit, as in the deposition of sediment on the bottom of a lake. And in the sense of depose, a deposition can refer to getting rid of a person of authority. The deposition of a king is the same thing as a dethronement. Deposition is a busy word, but it’s most often used in court.

Example Sentences

Mace urged Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer, to "publicly reaffirm former Attorney General Pam Bondi's legal obligation to appear for her deposition".

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

The justice department told the House Oversight Committee that Bondi will not appear at the 14 April deposition as she was "subpoenaed in her capacity as Attorney General," a committee spokesperson confirmed to the BBC.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Boyd said in his deposition last year that the phone was put in Moss’s safe so it could be turned over to investigators at the state law enforcement agency known by its acronym, SLED.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Nanoplastics can travel through the air and fall into the ocean with rain or settle directly onto the water's surface through a process known as dry deposition.

From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026

She said that as soon as she finished giving her deposition she would be returning to England.

From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg

Related Words

• affidavit
• allegation
• announcement
• evidence
• testimony