deputy

[dep-yuh-tee]

See more synonyms for deputy on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural dep·u·ties.

a person appointed or authorized to act as a substitute for another or others.
deputy sheriff.
a person appointed or elected as assistant to a public official, serving as successor in the event of a vacancy.

a person representing a constituency in certain legislative bodies.

adjective

appointed, elected, or serving as an assistant or second-in-command.

Origin of deputy

1375–1425; late Middle English depute < Old French, noun use of past participle of deputer to depute

Related formsdep·u·ty·ship, nounsub·dep·u·ty, noun, plural sub·dep·u·ties.

Synonyms for deputy

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1. agent, representative, surrogate, envoy, emissary, proxy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for deputy

commissioner, representative, aide, delegate, appointee, minister, ambassador, sub, surrogate, regent, lieutenant, proxy, factor, subordinate, legate, backup, substitute, replacement, councilor, dogcatcher

Examples from the Web for deputy

Contemporary Examples of deputy

Patrick Klugman, the deputy mayor of Paris, said: “We are living our kind of 9/11,” he said.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers
Nico Hines
January 9, 2015
Coincidently, both he and the deputy shadow governor are Korengalis and Zalwar Khan knows them well.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley
Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman
November 15, 2014
One is Dmitry Rogozin, the former ambassador to NATO and current deputy prime minister.
Think Putin’s Bad? Wait for the Next Guy
Anna Nemtsova
November 14, 2014
Ibrahim made clear to Deputy Dennis Meyer that his daughter was a respectful and dutiful girl of Sudanese extraction.
How ISIS’s Colorado Girls Were Caught
Michael Daly
October 22, 2014
When the deputy arrived at the apartment, he asked to speak with the girls and was led to their bedroom.
How ISIS’s Colorado Girls Were Caught
Michael Daly
October 22, 2014

Historical Examples of deputy

Looking back, Andy saw a rifle pitch to the shoulder of the deputy.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
The master and mistress thenceforth transact their affairs by deputy.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
To all of this the deputy listened sadly, combing his mustaches.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
The deputy officer took a chair and tipped it back against the wall.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
Jared Wiley, the deputy, was talking to a group near the stain, explaining.
The Gentleman From Indiana
Booth Tarkington

British Dictionary definitions for deputy

deputy

noun plural -ties

1. a person appointed to act on behalf of or represent another
2. (as modifier)the deputy chairman
a member of the legislative assembly or of the lower chamber of the legislature in various countries, such as France
British mining another word for fireman (def. 4)

Word Origin for deputy

C16: from Old French depute, from deputer to appoint; see depute

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for deputy

c.1400, "one given the full power of an officer without holding the office," from Anglo-French deputé, noun use of past participle of Middle French députer "appoint, assign" (14c.), from Late Latin deputare "to destine, allot," in classical Latin "to esteem, consider, consider as," literally "to cut off, prune," from de- "away" (see de-) + putare "to think, count, consider," literally "to cut, prune" (see pave).