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
-
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
-
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.
-
to withhold (someone) from accessibility to a visitor.
The secretary denied his employer to all those without appointments.
-
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
-
to reject as false; refuse to accept or believe
-
to withhold; refuse to give
-
to refuse to fulfil the requests or expectations of
it is hard to deny a child
-
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
-
deniessimple
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have deniedperfect
-
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
-
deniedsimple
-
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:
“If a tenant of mine wanted a panel, I would deny it,” one landlord wrote in the comments of a recent L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
When we dismiss children’s disclosures, we deny them the opportunity to receive protection and support.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026
He and Justice de Moraes deny any wrongdoing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
It follows a predictable pattern: deny the harm, attack the credibility of the person who named the harm, and reverse the roles of victim and offender.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026
“Can you deny that you have done it?” she repeated.
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
If he denies that request, the disqualifications would take effect one week later, subject to further orders from him or an appellate court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
It says the FBI expected to join the investigation into the 82-year-old father of the Duchess of Sussex, who denies all the allegations made against him.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Fause denies this account and said the operation went ahead without a hitch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
Last week, Cook declined to attend a hearing in the White House's probe into mortgage fraud allegations, which she denies.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
I know because I’ve caught him singing along with me, even though he denies it.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Doha vehemently denied the allegations and called them part of a disinformation campaign that was “ridiculous and dangerous in equal measure.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
He denied he had shifted his stance since the Makerfield by-election when he promised not to "re-run" the Brexit debate.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
More than a month later she claims the district attorney’s office informed her that Wiley denied Doe’s allegations and that, “therefore, no charges would be filed.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Flavio at first denied having contact with Vorcaro, but was forced to backtrack after audio leaked of him imploring the banker to make overdue payments.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Einstein was so disturbed by the idea of singularities that he denied the existence of black holes.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Panicked, one scammer drafted a formal letter, denying any knowledge of illegal activity and pledging to help the investigator any way he could.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 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 denying: execution risk seems high, and bearish scenarios imply >50% downside potential,” Potter wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
So far it has led to the seizure of in excess of 1,600 boats and engines, denying their use to criminal networks.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Cornelius Grinnell and Robert Kane began denying the marriage rumors in the spring of 1854, around the time that Elisha’s book about his first Arctic trip was published.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
