deprive
Americanverb (used with object)
-
deprives,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deprived,
past participle, past
-
depriving
present participle
-
to remove or withhold something from the enjoyment or possession of (a person or persons).
to deprive a man of life; to deprive a baby of candy.
-
to remove from ecclesiastical office.
verb
-
(foll by of) to prevent from possessing or enjoying; dispossess (of)
-
archaic to remove from rank or office; depose; demote
Synonym Usage
See strip 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
deprivalnoun
-
deprivernoun
-
predepriveverb (used with object)
-
deprivableadjective
-
deprivativeadjective
-
nondeprivableadjective
-
self-deprivingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
deprivesimple
-
deprivessimple
-
have deprivedperfect
-
has deprivedperfect
-
am deprivingprogressive
-
are deprivingprogressive
-
is deprivingprogressive
-
have been deprivingperfect progressive
-
has been deprivingperfect progressive
Past
-
deprivedsimple
-
had deprivedperfect
-
was deprivingprogressive
-
were deprivingprogressive
-
had been deprivingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deprive
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English depriven, from Anglo-French, Old French depriver, from Medieval Latin dēprīvāre, equivalent to Latin dē- de- + prīvāre “to deprive” ( prīv(us) private + -āre infinitive suffix)
Explanation
Deprive means to keep from having. If your little brother gets loud and hyper every time he eats sweets, your parents might deprive him of sugary cereal and candy. Deprive can also mean to take away something that someone already had, or feels they deserve to have, like basic human rights. "A crowd gathered to protest the man's imprisonment for a crime he did not commit; they didn't want to allow the government to deprive him of his freedom." The word comes from the Latin, de", which means "entirely," and privare, which means "release from." Put together, they mean to "entirely release from." In this case, the imprisoned man's freedom is being "entirely released," or taken away, and he'll no longer have it.
Vocabulary lists containing deprive
The Declaration of Independence
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Freak the Mighty
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
But he otherwise stuck to his determination to deprive markets of “forward guidance” on future rate moves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
The reversal follows criticism from teachers, nutritionists and parents who argued that removing eggs from school lunches could deprive children from poor families a key source of protein.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Ian Russell warned in January that an Australia-style ban would "create a false sense of safety", push children to other areas of the internet, and deprive them of connection.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
And if we deprive gay guys of their annual chance to make Mother’s Day about their personal taste in actresses, God help us all.
From Salon ● May 10, 2026
“Boy, I won’t stop you from chasing your heart’s desire. No, no. I won’t deprive you of things that fly. It comes to you naturally.”
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
His death also deprives Trump of one of his most trusted allies on Capitol Hill.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Cleage gives the women plenty of substance, though her novelistic mode — more telling than showing — deprives her drama of style.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
This particularly deprives eastern parts of the country of rainfall and sees a later start to the northern wet season -- though less chance of tropical cyclones.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
A heart attack deprives heart muscle cells of oxygen and nutrients, causing many of them to die.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2025
Reacting to the portrait in “a direct, straightforward fashion,” without the benefit of additional knowledge, deprives us of an understanding that is necessary for full appreciation.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
During the trial, participants reduced their calorie intake by 11 to 14% without feeling deprived.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
McCoubrey said he was not shocked to discover that people living in the most deprived areas were more adversely affected by pain than others.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Wall Street is afraid it will be deprived of trading opportunities and transaction fees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Record-low snowpack in many parts of the Rockies last winter deprived the river of needed replenishment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
I wanted children everywhere to appreciate their education, so I said I now knew firsthand the suffering of millions of children who are deprived of an education.
From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai
“If the intent was not financial gain by depriving others, then it’s almost certainly not illegal — although not everything that is a big problem is illegal,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Outside the Gravelines plant, the largest in Western Europe, the shutdowns or production reductions affecting other reactors are linked to extreme heat and droughts, depriving the plants of the water they need for cooling.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
In 2023, his team reported that depriving colon cancer cells of arginine caused them to accumulate more mutations.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
Dugher, who was recently appointed the UK government's first "music champion", said: "No water is one thing but depriving people of somewhere to sit is another... families are having to sit on the floor."
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Some hint of other drastic consequences of depriving a cell of oxygen can be seen in animal experiments on developing embryos.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
