deposit

[ dih-poz-it ]
See synonyms for deposit on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to place for safekeeping or in trust, especially in a bank account: He deposited his paycheck every Friday.

  2. to give as security or in part payment.

  1. to deliver and leave (an item): Please deposit your returned books with the librarian.

  2. to insert (a coin) in a coin-operated device: Deposit a quarter and push the button.

  3. to put, place, or set down, especially carefully or exactly: She deposited the baby in the crib.

  4. 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.

  1. anything laid away or entrusted to another for safekeeping: A large deposit of jewels was stolen from the hotel safe.

  2. a place for safekeeping; depository.

  3. something precipitated, delivered and left, or thrown down, as by a natural process: a deposit of soil.

  4. the natural sediment of wine in a bottle.

  5. a coating of metal deposited on something, usually by an electric current.

  6. a natural accumulation or occurrence, especially of oil or ore: a mountain range with many rich deposits of gold.

Origin of deposit

1
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin dēpositus “laid down,” past participle of dēpōnere; see depone

Other words for deposit

Other words from deposit

  • 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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use deposit in a sentence

  • Well, here it is, said King OLeary, depositing a collection of bills and change upon the table.

    The Woman Gives | Owen Johnson
  • The former they consider as best adapted for presents, and for depositing in store-houses.

  • "Let me find one uzzer one," pleaded Carie, depositing her prize on her uncle's knee, and continuing the search.

    The Story of the Big Front Door | Mary Finley Leonard
  • Landing, she slowly crawls over the beach, raising her head, until she has found a suitable place for depositing her eggs.

    In the Wilds of Florida | W.H.G. Kingston
  • Around the apartment were shelves, cabinets, and other places convenient for depositing papers.

    The Fortunes of Nigel | Sir Walter Scott

British Dictionary definitions for deposit

deposit

/ (dɪˈpɒzɪt) /


verb(tr)
  1. to put or set down, esp carefully or in a proper place; place

  2. to entrust for safekeeping; consign

  1. to place (money) in a bank or similar institution in order to earn interest or for safekeeping

  2. to give (money) in part payment or as security

  3. to lay down naturally; cause to settle: the river deposits silt

noun
    • an instance of entrusting money or valuables to a bank or similar institution

    • the money or valuables so entrusted

  1. money given in part payment or as security, as when goods are bought on hire-purchase: See also down payment

  1. a consideration, esp money, given temporarily as security against loss of or damage to something borrowed or hired

  2. an accumulation of sediments, mineral ores, coal, etc

  3. any deposited material, such as a sediment or a precipitate that has settled out of solution

  4. a coating produced on a surface, esp a layer of metal formed by electrolysis

  5. a depository or storehouse

  6. on deposit payable as the first instalment, as when buying on hire-purchase

Origin of deposit

1
C17: from Medieval Latin dēpositāre, from Latin dēpositus put down

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for deposit

deposit

[ dĭ-pŏzĭt ]


  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.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.