deputy
Americannoun
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deputies
plural
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a person appointed or authorized to act as a substitute for another or others.
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a person appointed or elected as assistant to a public official, serving as successor in the event of a vacancy.
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a person representing a constituency in certain legislative bodies.
adjective
noun
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a person appointed to act on behalf of or represent another
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( as modifier )
the deputy chairman
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a member of the legislative assembly or of the lower chamber of the legislature in various countries, such as France
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mining another word for fireman
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing deputy
Iroquois Constitution
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"Yummy" by G. Neri
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Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639)
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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:
“A key risk for Canada now is not building enough during this period of softening housing markets across the country,” said Aled ab Iorwerth, deputy chief economist at the housing agency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Rania Batrice, a Palestinian American political strategist who was a deputy campaign manager for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, was disturbed.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
The US embassy's deputy chief of mission Josh Huck, a career diplomat, is expected to take charge in the interim, Greek reports said Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Grandparents are a key component to the housing market,” Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist and vice president of research at NAR, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
The deputy shook his head and gently pushed her arm away even though she was reaching out and calling his name.
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
M23 leader Sultani Makenga will serve as one of Kabila's four deputies in the new movement.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
The sheriff responded that deputies had conducted brief and routine polling place visits for years.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
Sheriff’s cadaver dogs, deputies with shovels and a backhoe were seen at work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
He said the federally funded highway, which runs from West Sacramento, Calif., to Ocean City, Md., yielded two immigration arrests after traffic stops by his deputies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
“The sheriff’s deputies are at Arthur Bauer’s house! They’re sitting in a car out front.”
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
