deposit

[ dih-poz-it ]

verb (used with object)

1. to place for safekeeping or in trust, especially in a bank account:

   He deposited his paycheck every Friday.

   Synonyms: store, save, bank

2. to give as security or in part payment.
3. to deliver and leave (an item):

   Please deposit your returned books with the librarian.

4. to insert (a coin) in a coin-operated device:

   Deposit a quarter and push the button.

5. to put, place, or set down, especially carefully or exactly:

   She deposited the baby in the crib.

6. to lay or throw down by a natural process; precipitate:

   The river deposited soil at its mouth.

verb (used without object)

1. to be placed, inserted, precipitated, left for safekeeping, given as security or in partial payment, etc.

noun

1. money placed in a bank account or an instance of placing money in a bank account.
2. 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.

3. anything laid away or entrusted to another for safekeeping:

   A large deposit of jewels was stolen from the hotel safe.

4. a place for safekeeping; depository.
5. something precipitated, delivered and left, or thrown down, as by a natural process:

   a deposit of soil.

6. the natural sediment of wine in a bottle.
7. a coating of metal deposited on something, usually by an electric current.
8. a natural accumulation or occurrence, especially of oil or ore:

   a mountain range with many rich deposits of gold.

   Synonyms: pocket, vein, lode

deposit

/ dɪˈpɒzɪt /

verb

1. to put or set down, esp carefully or in a proper place; place
2. to entrust for safekeeping; consign
3. to place (money) in a bank or similar institution in order to earn interest or for safekeeping
4. to give (money) in part payment or as security
5. to lay down naturally; cause to settle

   the river deposits silt

noun

1. 1. an instance of entrusting money or valuables to a bank or similar institution
   2. the money or valuables so entrusted
2. money given in part payment or as security, as when goods are bought on hire-purchase See also down payment
3. a consideration, esp money, given temporarily as security against loss of or damage to something borrowed or hired
4. an accumulation of sediments, mineral ores, coal, etc
5. any deposited material, such as a sediment or a precipitate that has settled out of solution
6. a coating produced on a surface, esp a layer of metal formed by electrolysis
7. a depository or storehouse
8. on deposit
   payable as the first instalment, as when buying on hire-purchase

deposit

/ dĭ-pŏz′ĭt /

1. An accumulation or layer of solid material, either consolidated or unconsolidated, left or laid down by a natural process. Deposits include sediments left by water, wind, ice, gravity, volcanic activity, or other agents. A layer of coal formed over many years through the decomposition of plant material is also a deposit.

Other Words From

• prede·posit noun verb
• rede·posit verb noun
• subde·posit noun
• super·de·posit noun
• unde·posit·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of deposit¹

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin dēpositus “laid down,” past participle of dēpōnere; depone

Word History and Origins

Origin of deposit¹

C17: from Medieval Latin dēpositāre, from Latin dēpositus put down

Example Sentences

She was then duped into believing they had deposited money into her account, and she needed to pay it back in cash and gift cards from Best Buy and Target.

From Los Angeles Times

Individuals can deposit money to a hawala broker in one country, and a recipient withdraws it from a broker in another country, using a code.

From BBC

In electrospinning, the needle in which the mixture is contained and the metal plate upon which the mixture is deposited form two ends of a battery.

From Science Daily

In 2017, a trove of Cole’s work was found in a safe deposit box in Sweden.

From New York Times

From 2015 to 2017, she forged her grandmother’s signature on more than 20 checks in order to fraudulently deposit some $45,000 from her grandmother’s bank account into her own, prosecutors said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• security