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

At the time, Labour's deputy leader Jack Hemmingway said the government was providing £17.9m towards redeveloping the area, describing it as "a once in a generation opportunity to transform the city centre".

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Mr. Pallenberg, also interviewed for the documentary, was seen as Mr. Boorman’s deputy on the set, but did not win over his colleagues.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Buettell, the deputy chief executive, told The Times that the county does not have the power to terminate Curtis’ employment because he was appointed to fill a vacancy in an elected position.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Chaudhry, the deputy interior minister, told media outside the hospital that authorities would launch a probe, and that the bodies of the 14 babies had been handed over to their parents.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Stanton regularly wrote for the Lily, a women’s temperance movement newspaper published by Amelia Bloomer, who worked as the deputy postmistress of Seneca Falls.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

She was replaced by Omeed Assefi, one of Slater’s deputies and a Trump administration veteran.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Video footage showed deputies assisting wildlife officials as they carried the tranquilized animal to a brown cage to transport it out of the area.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison and his deputies are aiming to resolve the dispute that has delayed his quest to join Paramount, with CBS and its streaming services, to Warner, parent of HBO and CNN.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

County sheriff’s deputies converged on the scene and were visible amid a desert landscape and some ramshackle buildings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

They liked Anatole, and apologized that they had to support their families on the handful of coins or rice they got when Mobutu’s deputies came by to count the prisoners each morning.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

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