deposit
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
noun
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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:
With this in mind, it is prudent to maintain two to four years’ worth of living expenses in short-term bonds, certificates of deposit or other low-risk, liquid investments.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
However, a landlord could make deductions from the tenancy deposit at the end of the tenancy for proven pet-related damage.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
South Korea is accelerating the implementation of a higher minimum cash deposit requirement for investing in leveraged exchange-traded funds, as authorities intensify efforts to curb extreme volatility in the world’s best-performing stock market this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Instead of targeting a single valuable metal, the researchers plan to examine the full mixture of elements inside each deposit.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
The railing was lined with those tourist binoculars, where you could deposit one golden drachma and see the city.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
With profits from their core lending businesses lackluster, in part because of hot competition for consumer deposits, banks are also under pressure to find ways to grow their loan books.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Sweden has known rare earth mineral deposits in Kiruna, Bergslagen and Norra Kärr outside Gränna.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
Located in the Pacific Ocean 2,500 miles north east of Australia, Nauru's historical wealth was built on its vast deposits of phosphate from fossilised bird poo.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Even if he deposits the $80,000 into an IRA within 60 days, the distribution was $100,000 but only $80,000 was deposited.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 19, 2026
She had protested, but only mildly, the same limp no with which she greeted the frequent deposits to her bank account and the new Impala with the soft upholstery.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Even if he deposits the $80,000 into an IRA within 60 days, the distribution was $100,000 but only $80,000 was deposited.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 19, 2026
The material came from a thin layer of clay deposited around the world after the impact.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
The checks never reached their destination and were deposited into a JPMorgan Chase account not associated with any of the intended recipients, the Justice Department said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Hassan had deposited £150,000 in cash into his own bank account between 2022 and 2025, and detectives who searched his home found £22,500 in heat-sealed bags.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 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
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
However, depositing more than $10,000 into your bank account will likely trigger a mandatory currency-transaction report to both the Internal Revenue and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network under the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 26, 2026
And in 2024, it skipped depositing a few more contributions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2025
By depositing them directly on solid surfaces, the Auburn team has overcome these barriers, proposing a family of materials structures that could move from theoretical models to real-world devices.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2025
“Parasite of the tent caterpillar,” he says, depositing the slide with reverence on a clean piece of paper at my table.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
