deserve
verb (used with object)
to merit, be qualified for, or have a claim to (reward, assistance, punishment, etc.) because of actions, qualities, or situation.
had deserved
-
past perfectof deserve.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
His recent performances had deserved credit, given he has been standing behind one of the Premier League's leakiest-ever defences in terms of shots allowed to the opposition.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2024
Within 48 business hours of their intervention, a FedEx driver handed me an envelope with the money I had deserved to get months before.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2023
He also waged a legal battle against his former employer, saying he had deserved more compensation.
From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2020
That up until the moment that she became famous, the painter and her life’s work had deserved to be lost, left unrecorded.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 3, 2019
Not by the announcement or the necessary apology; those were standard procedures, and he had deserved them—but by the incident itself.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
