deputy

American  

[dep-yuh-tee] / ˈdɛp jə ti /

noun

• deputies
  plural

1. a person appointed or authorized to act as a substitute for another or others.

   Synonyms:

   proxy, emissary, envoy, surrogate, representative, agent

2. deputy sheriff.

3. a person appointed or elected as assistant to a public official, serving as successor in the event of a vacancy.

4. a person representing a constituency in certain legislative bodies.

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adjective

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

deputy British  

/ ˈdɛpjʊtɪ /

noun

1. 1. a person appointed to act on behalf of or represent another

   2. ( as modifier )

      the deputy chairman

2. a member of the legislative assembly or of the lower chamber of the legislature in various countries, such as France

3. mining another word for fireman

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• deputyship
  noun
• subdeputy
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• deputies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of deputy

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

Explanation

A deputy is a sheriff's assistant, the person who fills in when the sheriff isn't available. When a deputy is in charge, she has the same powers and authority as the sheriff. You can use the noun deputy for anyone who is singled out to step in for another person. A deputy leader of a government fills in when the president or prime minister is ill, and a magazine's deputy editor is qualified to edit an issue when the editor isn't available. The Middle French root is députer, "appoint or assign," from the Late Latin deputare.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deputy deputies

In September, two officials—both women—from the deputy attorney general’s office traveled to Florida to learn more about the status of the cases.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

When a Sramek deputy reminded then-County Administrator Bill Emlen of six months of meetings with him, Mashburn and others, receipts attached, Emlen shot back.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

However, Alliance deputy leader Eóin Tennyson welcomed the decision.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Before that, Zacharia worked as a deputy assistant secretary of Homeland Security for Public Affairs, starting in February 2026, but resigned just weeks later in March.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

Yelena Karakorskaya, the deputy engineer in special aircraft equipment for the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment, experienced another incident.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

The sheriff responded that deputies had conducted brief and routine polling place visits for years.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

P&R Treasury Lead Charles Parkinson said he never believed the direction to reduce spending by 1% in real terms - which deputies agreed to last year - was possible.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

With more police and sheriff’s deputies joining immigration enforcement, “we’re not in the streets arresting these individuals,” Mullin said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office in Florida signed up more than 970 deputies, making it eligible for roughly $14.5 million in DHS funds from April to June, state records show.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

A tense peace lasted five weeks until an argument broke out between deputies and striking coal miners.

From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell

Related Words

• aide
• appointee
• commissioner
• delegate
• minister
• representative