deputy
Americannoun
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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:
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, said Tehran wants the inbound shipping lane entirely under its control.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Ugarte, who was until recently a deputy chief of staff to the current council member, Curren Price, got about 39% of the vote in the June primary to 26% for Mazariegos, in a six-candidate field.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Bradley Lord, who was already involved, was recently promoted to deputy team principal from his previous position as communications director and senior adviser to team principal Toto Wolff.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The bank's senior deputy governor, Destry Damayanti, has been appointed as interim governor, he added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Most of my communications were mediated by Melissa, who was now my deputy chief of staff and knew the contours of my life better than anyone.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
A proposal to ban social media for children under 15 is due to be voted on by France's parliament on Tuesday after deputies and senators reached a compromise agreement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Back in Washington, at a 2023 meeting of senior deputies across the executive branch, one five-minute agenda item set things in motion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
The 141 Tisza deputies in parliament gave a standing ovation as the results of the vote passing the amendment were announced on Monday.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Sheriff’s deputies had to force a few diehard gamblers away from their games at a casino in Commerce.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
The deputies were driving him back to death row and talking about a gun show they were planning to attend.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
