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deserve
[ dih-zurv ]
/ dɪˈzɜrv /
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verb (used with object), de·served, de·serv·ing.
to merit, be qualified for, or have a claim to (reward, assistance, punishment, etc.) because of actions, qualities, or situation: to deserve exile; to deserve charity; a theory that deserves consideration.
verb (used without object), de·served, de·serv·ing.
to be worthy of, qualified for, or have a claim to reward, punishment, recompense, etc.: to reward him as he deserves; an idea deserving of study.
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Origin of deserve
OTHER WORDS FROM deserve
de·serv·er, nounpre·de·serve, verb (used with object), pre·de·served, pre·de·serv·ing.Words nearby deserve
desert pea, desert rat, desert rock, desert soil, desert varnish, deserve, deserved, deservedly, deserving, desex, desexualize
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use deserve in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for deserve
deserve
/ (dɪˈzɜːv) /
verb
(tr) to be entitled to or worthy of; merit
(intr foll by of) obsolete to be worthy
Derived forms of deserve
deserved, adjectivedeservedness (dɪˈzɜːvɪdnɪs), noundeserver, nounWord Origin for deserve
C13: from Old French deservir, from Latin dēservīre to serve devotedly, from de- + servīre to serve
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with deserve
deserve
see one good turn deserves another.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.