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
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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
-
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
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have been denyingperfect progressive
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has been denyingperfect progressive
Past
-
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:
But UnitedHealthcare continued to deny coverage of the drug, which would cost about $50,000 a year if Noonan were to pay in cash.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
These companies should be required to verify their customers’ identities and intentions and to deny access where there is reason to suspect dangerous misuse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
All deny all charges and they were initially released on bail.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Commissioners have “a statutory duty” under the state’s utilities code “to deny the transaction outright rather than approve a weaker deal,” the advocates argued in a recent filing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
“Chokecherry may deny its scandalous past, but you can’t paint over rot. It’s still there, TokNation, and it will always come out.”
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
He denies the allegations—including from his ex-wife, a U.S. senator’s daughter—and insists he’ll stay in the race.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
Miller denies any wrongdoing, claims his ex-wife has struggled with “significant mental health challenges,” and has accused his former father-in-law of spreading “lies.”
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
While the U.S. denies Iran has control of the strait, it has only occasionally risked sending warships into the Persian Gulf during the conflict, and then only for brief missions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
A Fifa spokesperson told the Telegraph Infantino "strongly denies" the allegations and that they are "categorically untrue".
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The North Korean government could hardly set the record straight, since it denies that Camp 14 exists.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
The BBC has previously apologised for the edit but denied it was grounds for defamation.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
In its statement, DHS denied HSI has neglected its core mission, saying the agency has increased its efforts to combat criminal cartels, gangs and drug traffickers in response to multiple Trump executive orders.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
The BBC spoke to several content creators who all denied being motivated by social media views, clicks or revenue, and insisted they were supporting conservation or attempting to change public perceptions of sharks.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Afterward, she told her supervisor she needed a short leave to attend to her health, but was denied.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 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
"We have to face up to the changing climate ... there's no point denying where we are. We need to face up to it. We need more clean energy."
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
The shooting also led to a surge in public criticism about the role of health-insurance companies in limiting or denying medical care.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
But there’s no denying the current erosion of his position.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
In his initial livestream denying the allegations, he not only exhibited an odd demeanor, but he also falsely insisted that every accusation could be “traced back to a single source, my former wife.”
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
“You must be joking. You spend all this time denying me and then you turn around and say that you are, in fact, my mother?”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
