deposition

American  

[dep-uh-zish-uhn, dee-puh-] / ˌdɛp əˈzɪʃ ən, ˌdi pə- /

noun

1. removal from an office or position.

2. the act or process of depositing.

   deposition of the documents with the Library of Congress.

3. the state of being deposited or precipitated.

   deposition of soil at the mouth of a river.

4. something that is deposited.

5. Law.

   1. the giving of testimony under oath.

   2. the testimony so given.

   3. a statement under oath, taken down in writing, to be used in court in place of the spoken testimony of the witness.

6. Ecclesiastical.

   1. the interment of the body of a saint.

   2. the reinterment of the body or the relics of a saint.

7. (initial capital letter) a work of art depicting Christ being lowered from the Cross.

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deposition ¹ British  

/ ˌdiːpə-, ˌdɛpəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. law

   1. the giving of testimony on oath

   2. the testimony so given

   3. the sworn statement of a witness used in court in his absence

2. the act or instance of deposing

3. the act or an instance of depositing

4. something that is deposited; deposit

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Deposition ² British  

/ ˌdiːpə-, ˌdɛpəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. the taking down of Christ's body from the Cross or a representation of this

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deposition Scientific  

/ dĕp′ə-zĭsh′ən /

1. The accumulation or laying down of matter by a natural process, as the laying down of sediments in a river or the accumulation of mineral deposits in a bodily organ.

2. The process of changing from a gas to a solid without passing through an intermediate liquid phase. Carbon dioxide, at a pressure of one atmosphere, undergoes deposition at about −78 degrees Celsius.

3. Compare sublimation

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Other Word Forms

• depositional adjective
• postdepositional adjective

Etymology

Origin of deposition

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin dēpositiōn-, stem of dēpositiō “a putting aside, testimony, burial,” equivalent to Latin dēposit(us) “laid down” ( see deposit) + -iō -ion

Explanation

A deposition is a statement made in court. A deposition can be made outside of court, too — after a crime, a witness might give a deposition. Then that written or recorded deposition can be used as evidence in the courtroom. The word deposition is often used in a legal context, but a deposition can also be more like a deposit, as in the deposition of sediment on the bottom of a lake. And in the sense of depose, a deposition can refer to getting rid of a person of authority. The deposition of a king is the same thing as a dethronement. Deposition is a busy word, but it’s most often used in court.

Example Sentences

Maxwell declined to answer the committee’s questions during a video deposition in February from the Texas federal prison where she is serving her 20-year prison sentence.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

At the time of her February deposition, Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus said she would offer the “unfiltered truth” if granted clemency by Trump.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

The Dutch group, which supplies wafer-processing equipment for the deposition of thin films, reported sales of 862.5 million euros, equivalent to $1.02 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Mace urged Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer, to "publicly reaffirm former Attorney General Pam Bondi's legal obligation to appear for her deposition".

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

The deposition concluded with my return weekend to the Moss trailer.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Related Words

• affidavit
• allegation
• announcement
• evidence
• testimony