deny
Americanverb (used with object)
-
denies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
denied,
past participle, past
-
denying
present participle
-
to state that (something declared or believed to be true) is not true.
to deny an accusation.
- Synonyms:
- gainsay, oppose, controvert, dispute
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to refuse to agree or accede to.
to deny a petition.
-
to withhold the possession, use, or enjoyment of.
to deny access to secret information.
- Antonyms:
- allow
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to withhold something from, or refuse to grant a request of.
to deny a beggar.
-
to refuse to recognize or acknowledge; disown; disavow; repudiate.
to deny one's gods.
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to withhold (someone) from accessibility to a visitor.
The secretary denied his employer to all those without appointments.
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Obsolete. to refuse to take or accept.
idioms
verb
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to declare (an assertion, statement, etc) to be untrue
he denied that he had killed her
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to reject as false; refuse to accept or believe
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to withhold; refuse to give
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to refuse to fulfil the requests or expectations of
it is hard to deny a child
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to refuse to acknowledge or recognize; disown; disavow
the baron denied his wicked son
-
to refuse (oneself) things desired
Synonym Usage
Deny, contradict both imply objecting to or arguing against something. To deny is to say that something is not true: to deny an allegation. To contradict is to declare that the contrary is true: to contradict a statement.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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denysimple
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deniessimple
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have deniedperfect
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has deniedperfect
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am denyingprogressive
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are denyingprogressive
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is denyingprogressive
-
have been denyingperfect progressive
-
has been denyingperfect progressive
Past
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deniedsimple
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had deniedperfect
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was denyingprogressive
-
were denyingprogressive
-
had been denyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deny
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English denien, from Old French denier, from Latin dēnegāre; see denegation
Explanation
To deny means refuse to accept, recognize, or believe. You can deny your sweet tooth all you want, but the stash of candy in your desk tells a different story. It's hard to deny what etymologists have proven: deny is rooted in the Latin word denegare, which means “to deny, reject, refuse.” You can deny yourself of chocolate if you're on a diet, or deny the accusations that you're a chocoholic. But it's usually best to fess up. Abraham Lincoln famously admitted: “I never did like to work, and I don't deny it. I'd rather read, tell stories, crack jokes, talk, laugh — anything but work."
Vocabulary lists containing deny
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act II
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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19th Amendment (1920)
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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:
Still, walk into the gallery thrumming with one of his reggae-inflected tracks, and the correspondence becomes difficult to deny.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
The demonstration -- one of Serbia's largest in decades -- descended into panic after a mysterious noise sent crowds fleeing, fuelling claims that police had used a "sound cannon" -- an allegation authorities deny.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
They say he was working for Japan’s national intelligence service, which the newspaper and the Tokyo government deny.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Against Manchester United before the international break, they had also looked set to take the three points, only for a last-gasp Matheus Cunha deflected goal to deny them victory.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
In this case, Maggie certainly had letters proving that he’d made one, so she had to officially deny the engagement.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
It also denies any role in Libya’s ongoing conflict.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, denies the allegations but previously said that some of Lula's campaign ads had been mistakenly deactivated due to technical errors.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
Gomez denies the allegations, saying he made mistakes outside of his marriage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
She denies wrongdoing, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation questioned the veracity of the felon’s account and closed its inquiry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
At Meadowcroft no archaeologist denies that many human artifacts do occur in many carefully excavated layers.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Meta has denied taking action to favour one side of the election and has said it would comply with an order from a Brazilian court to treat Bolsonaro and Lula equally.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Wildfires have burned more than 1.9 million hectares in the nine months to September, according to deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas -- a figure the government has not confirmed or denied.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
The full contours of this dispute are not yet clear, and Grenell has denied any knowledge of the matter.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
She later denied there was a split within the heart of government over the issue.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Since then, and for many years after, Jefferson’s family members, his biographers, and other defenders denied that Jefferson was the father of Sally’s children.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
There’s no denying that this is a perfect song and that Underwood is a once-in-a-lifetime voice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
No amount of denying objectivity can shield it from those consequences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
As well as denying the allegations, the individual responded with medical reports stating that there was a risk to his life if the information was published.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Whatever one’s views of her politics, there can be no denying that everything Omar has attained, from her education to her career, has been earned against high odds.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
“There’s no use denying it. There are too many witnesses.”
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
