deserve
Americanverb (used with object)
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deserves,
present (3rd person singular)
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deserved,
past participle, past
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deserving
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
deserves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deserved,
past participle, past
-
deserving
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to be entitled to or worthy of; merit
-
obsolete to be worthy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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deservesimple
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deservessimple
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have deservedperfect
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has deservedperfect
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am deservingprogressive
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are deservingprogressive
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is deservingprogressive
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have been deservingperfect progressive
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has been deservingperfect progressive
Past
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deservedsimple
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had deservedperfect
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was deservingprogressive
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were deservingprogressive
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had been deservingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deserve
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English deserven, from Anglo-French, Old French deservir, from Latin dēservīre “to devote oneself to the service of,” equivalent to dē- de- + servīre “to serve” ( see serve)
Explanation
We deserve things based on our actions. For example, many people believe murderers deserve the death penalty. Deserve is used in many ways, but it always carries a sense of balance or justice. If someone receives an award for their work, it means they deserve praise and attention. If you deserve a day off, it means you've been working hard and have earned a vacation. If you threw a book during class, you deserve a punishment of some kind. Many laws — and lots of arguments — are about deciding what different people deserve. It's often hard to tell.
Vocabulary lists containing deserve
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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Schooled
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History is made in PA: Clinton's DNC Acceptance Speech
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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:
It has also revealed why the seemingly simple supplement findings deserve careful interpretation.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
“I feel like my life has been so unexpected. I’m still trying to tell myself I deserve this,” Wolf said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Nolette added these officials deserve occasional vacations like everyday Americans.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
The updated policy does not explicitly cite so-called "model welfare," the idea that AI systems might deserve types of protection usually reserved for living things, but Anthropic and its executives have openly entertained the concept.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
This man was right: His daughter did deserve a better chance than her parents had ever had.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Nevertheless, the original researchers believe the pathway deserves further investigation.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
"I do not think he deserves a respite," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Cristiano Ronaldo says he is not retiring from international football but deserves to be punished for walking out on Portugal even though head coach Jorge Jesus "broke his word to me".
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
That “golden cross” is not unlike a participation trophy, as it shows that bitcoin has put in enough time and effort that it deserves to say it’s now in a longer-term uptrend.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
“Actually, Ainsley,” another girl says to the huffy one, “I think Fairview deserves to be in the finals. Their mash-up of ‘Let It Snow’ and ‘Winter Wonderland’ was amazing.”
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
If I believed he deserved affection, did I believe the same about myself?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
We no longer believed we deserved and had earned our greatness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Joseph then grabbed the try his own performance deserved, diving in to the right of the posts to claim Gloucester's seventh try and third inside 12 minutes after half-time.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
It failed us all by assuming that what she deserved was fixed by what she did as an 18-year-old.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
I had not stolen so much as a sumac berry, though I will admit now that I deserved the punishment.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Two categories stood out as particularly deserving of further investigation: reproductive symptoms, including changes in menstrual cycles, and problems involving body temperature, such as chills and hot flashes.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
"Very few people favour cuts, disabled people are seen as among the most deserving recipients of support, and proposals to reduce disability benefits appear politically risky across the political spectrum."
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
“There is no one more deserving of an exhibition of this scale than John Galliano,” Wintour told Vogue in July.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
I got so much love and so much support for that show, but I didn’t feel deserving of it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Just make sure that those you give it to are deserving of such a fine thing.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
