deposit
Americanverb (used with object)
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deposits,
present (3rd person singular)
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deposited,
past participle, past
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depositing
present participle
-
to place for safekeeping or in trust, especially in a bank account.
He deposited his paycheck every Friday.
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to give as security or in part payment.
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to deliver and leave (an item).
Please deposit your returned books with the librarian.
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to insert (a coin) in a coin-operated device.
Deposit a quarter and push the button.
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to put, place, or set down, especially carefully or exactly.
She deposited the baby in the crib.
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to lay or throw down by a natural process; precipitate.
The river deposited soil at its mouth.
verb (used without object)
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deposits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deposited,
past participle, past
-
depositing
present participle
noun
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deposits
plural
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money placed in a bank account or an instance of placing money in a bank account.
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anything given as security or in part payment.
The boy returned the bottle and got his five-cent deposit back.
They made a deposit on the house and signed a ten-year mortgage.
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anything laid away or entrusted to another for safekeeping.
A large deposit of jewels was stolen from the hotel safe.
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a place for safekeeping; depository.
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something precipitated, delivered and left, or thrown down, as by a natural process.
a deposit of soil.
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the natural sediment of wine in a bottle.
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a coating of metal deposited on something, usually by an electric current.
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a natural accumulation or occurrence, especially of oil or ore.
a mountain range with many rich deposits of gold.
verb
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to put or set down, esp carefully or in a proper place; place
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to entrust for safekeeping; consign
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to place (money) in a bank or similar institution in order to earn interest or for safekeeping
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to give (money) in part payment or as security
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to lay down naturally; cause to settle
the river deposits silt
noun
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an instance of entrusting money or valuables to a bank or similar institution
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the money or valuables so entrusted
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money given in part payment or as security, as when goods are bought on hire-purchase See also down payment
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a consideration, esp money, given temporarily as security against loss of or damage to something borrowed or hired
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an accumulation of sediments, mineral ores, coal, etc
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any deposited material, such as a sediment or a precipitate that has settled out of solution
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a coating produced on a surface, esp a layer of metal formed by electrolysis
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a depository or storehouse
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payable as the first instalment, as when buying on hire-purchase
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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depositsimple
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depositssimple
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have depositedperfect
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has depositedperfect
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am depositingprogressive
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are depositingprogressive
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is depositingprogressive
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have been depositingperfect progressive
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has been depositingperfect progressive
Past
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depositedsimple
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had depositedperfect
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was depositingprogressive
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were depositingprogressive
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had been depositingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deposit
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin dēpositus “laid down,” past participle of dēpōnere; see depone
Explanation
You are making a deposit when you put money into your bank account. In that sentence, deposit is a noun, but you could express the same action using deposit as a verb. You deposit money into your bank account. The verb deposit can be used to refer to anything that you put down or in place. If you're carrying your keys and groceries from the car, you may deposit those items on the counter. Just be careful you don't end up playing "where are my keys" in the morning, if the counter is not your usual place for depositing them. You can also use deposit when nature does the placing. You find a deposit of gold in the mountain rock or there is sediment deposited at the bottom of a river.
Vocabulary lists containing deposit
Gold Rush: Mining and Metals
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Africa - Introductory
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Africa - Middle School
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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:
"The ECB governing council looks certain to raise its deposit rate from 2.25 percent to 2.5 percent," said Andrew Kenningham, chief Europe economist at Capital Economics.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
The experiment searches for dark matter by watching for characteristic flashes of light created when particles deposit energy inside the detector.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
If they’re still not budging, you can request other concessions, such as a discounted deposit, free parking or a waived pet fee.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
The judge said that negligent risk-taking caused at least $5.4 billion in damages, far exceeding the parent company’s $1.71 billion deposit claim.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
They found an extra theater seat that didn’t appear too dusty or irreparably broken and dragged it from the corner just in time for Molly to forcefully deposit Anat in it.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Latest data from the Bank of England, external shows that more buyers are taking loans with smaller deposits, leaving them more exposed to rate changes.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Instead of racing through trees and vegetation, these fires smolder through dried wetland soils and large deposits of peat, often continuing underground at relatively low temperatures.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
The approval by the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency opens the door to Revolut eventually offering loans, credit cards and insured deposits to US customers directly.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
The liquidation trust later argued in court filings that its creditors relied on the emergency pledge to guarantee all Silicon Valley Bank deposits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
She deposits me in front of a meticulously arranged place setting.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
Instead of watching the pile dwindle each month, they could focus on the guaranteed amount deposited into their bank account each month.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
In Coedpoeth, villagers say lorries began dumping a few months ago on former farmland off Talwrn Road, and one person said so much had been deposited it had "levelled off" a hillside.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Funds are deposited with a dealer in one location and paid out by a dealer in Iran, with the two dealers settling accounts later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
The Treasury General Account is essentially its checking account where tax revenues are deposited and government spending is paid.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
Singer ate his share slowly and deposited his seeds neatly in the palm of one hand.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
A spokesman for the firm denied it had continued depositing on the site when the temporary stop order was in place, but said it had continued work once the order expired.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Researchers around the world have explored several possible solutions, including different dielectric materials, molecular seed layers, and alternative methods for depositing oxides.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
In the video individuals are seen from afar putting their hands into the water while workers undertook cleaning work, but it did not clearly show people damaging the pool or depositing anything into it.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
That means it’s likely that more buses will be pulling into Villahermosa, depositing deportees still dressed in prison sweats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2026
It’s as if a tornado had passed through, depositing debris everywhere—debris that looms like a shadow of terrible events I can’t even begin to imagine.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
