deprive
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to remove from ecclesiastical office.
verb
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(foll by of) to prevent from possessing or enjoying; dispossess (of)
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archaic to remove from rank or office; depose; demote
Related Words
See strip 1.
Other Word Forms
- deprivable adjective
- deprival noun
- deprivative adjective
- depriver noun
- nondeprivable adjective
- predeprive verb (used with object)
- self-depriving adjective
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)
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.
"If you were deprived of freedom for a generation, you probably want to be pretty excited to get it back," he told the BBC.
From BBC
“When you don’t plan for joy, you end up either overspending impulsively or depriving yourself and resenting your money plan.”
From MarketWatch
That adjustment will allow the Fed to throttle back its bond purchases without depriving the banking system of the reserves it needs.
The SNP also promised to invest £1bn to close the "attainment gap" in schools - the difference in performance between pupils from more affluent and more deprived backgrounds.
From BBC
He said his school served "one of the most deprived catchments in Somerset" and previously said he thought the change "would hit the most vulnerable pupils the hardest".
From BBC
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.
