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
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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
-
is depositingprogressive
-
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:
Bonds, during most of that stretch, delivered returns similar to a bank deposit.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
The Clacton result was the first time that Count Binface has retained the £500 deposit candidates are required to make to validate their nomination.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The draw of Trump accounts is straightforward for families with newborns: Babies born between 2025 and 2028 are eligible for a free $1,000 deposit from the federal government.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
The central question is whether a reward is “economically or functionally equivalent” to interest on a bank deposit, a test the bill never defines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
“I’m going to make a deposit on those silly hats,” Bongo muttered.
From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate
Anderson says much of his work involving clay deposits was originally motivated by the search for life on other planets.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
As it enters Assam's vast floodplains, home to some 28 million people and hemmed in by hills, it slows and deposits sediment, fuelling erosion and floods.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Activities are subject to specific permits, and Greenland Energy still hopes to obtain full approval to begin drilling soon in order to determine the quality of potential deposits.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
It previously applied for a U.S. license to be able to accept deposits and offer loans in 2023, but backed out the following year due to regulatory concerns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
She deposits me into the backseat of Donna’s car and then gets into the passenger’s side.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
Roads have also closed due to debris and mud deposited by the flood water, according to Cardiff council.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Divers’ primary tool was a vacuum-like system called a dredge, which sucked up sediment from inside the wreck and deposited it into baskets on the sea floor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The material came from a thin layer of clay deposited around the world after the impact.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 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
Strontium 90 is chemically similar to calcium, and so it is absorbed by the body and deposited in the bones.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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
Saturday is when people can start depositing more money in the accounts.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Flexible OLEDs are made by depositing these layers onto bendable plastic substrates, allowing them to function while folded, bent, or rolled.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 15, 2026
A construction loader drove back and forth on the sidewalk, scooping up tents and depositing them in a trash truck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025
She half drags me back toward the door, flashing her identification card to the guards and depositing me outside in front of the theater.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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.
