deployment

American  

[dih-ploi-muhnt] / dɪˈplɔɪ mənt /

noun

1. the act of moving something or someone into a strategic position or a position of readiness, or the condition of being in such a position.

   Delays in the deployment of armored vehicles and body armor can cost lives on the front lines.

   Our team is highly experienced in the design, development, and deployment of customized IT solutions for healthcare facilities.

2. the state of being assigned for duty away from home, especially for military purposes.

   Encouragement and support are essential to help returning veterans handle the long-term impacts of deployment and reintegration into a nonmilitary daily routine.

   Community health workers on deployment are assisting in disaster recovery.

3. a period of time during which a person or group is assigned for duty away from home, especially for military purposes.

   She is a helicopter pilot on her second deployment to Afghanistan.

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Other Word Forms

• counterdeployment noun

Etymology

Origin of deployment

First recorded in 1775–85; deploy ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )

Explanation

Deployment is a word, often used by the military, for sending troops into duty. A soldier could be part of a deployment to the Middle East. Deployment refers to assigning people to serve in various locations, especially soldiers and other military personnel. A deployment may include soldiers, as well as equipment and generals. Deployments might be part of a war or a peaceful mission. Also, non-military organizations use this word too: they might speak of a deployment of workers to a new office. When you see the word deployment, you know people are being sent somewhere for a specific mission.

Example Sentences

Among those, reorganization or expansion is more likely than outright job losses, according to the study from Alex Martin Richmond, labor economist at the AI research and deployment company.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

The new capital from Ares is immediately available for deployment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Seven warnings were given “before the deployment of crowd control measures,” according to the statement.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

It followed the deployment of more than 200 Ukrainian antidrone specialists to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

Local police acknowledged that no significant level of violence was associated with crack in Seattle and that other drugs were causing more hospitalizations, but steadfastly maintained that their deployment decisions were nondiscriminatory.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• distribution
• formation