deprived; depriving
1
: to take something away from
… deprived him of his professorship …—
J. M. Phalen
J. M. Phalenthe risk of injury when the brain is deprived of oxygen
2
: to withhold something from
deprived a citizen of their rights
3
: to remove from office
… the Archbishop … would be deprived and sent to the Tower …—Edith Sitwell
Edith Sitwell4
obsolete
: remove
'Tis honor to deprive dishonored life …—Shakespeare
ShakespeareExamples of deprive in a Sentence
working those long hours was depriving him of his sleep
a prince who had been deprived after those who opposed the monarchy came to power
Recent Examples on the Web
The teacher’s union, which represents nearly 2 million members, filed a lawsuit against the administration in March, accusing it of depriving student loan borrowers of their rights.
—Annie Nova, CNBC, 26 Dec. 2025
George’s children have never been born, depriving the world of Zuzu’s petals.
—Margaret Heidenry, Vanity Fair, 24 Dec. 2025
For Kylie, staying home to take care of four kids — especially two with diabetes — while her husband was away at his job running a cleaning business left her sleep deprived and stressed on a regular basis.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025
Elon Musk, already the world’s richest man, scored another huge windfall Friday when the Delaware Supreme Court reversed a decision that deprived him of a $55 billion pay package that Tesla doled out in 2018 as an incentive for its CEO to steer the automaker to new heights.
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deprive
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Annie Nova, CNBC, 26 Dec. 2025
George’s children have never been born, depriving the world of Zuzu’s petals.
—Margaret Heidenry, Vanity Fair, 24 Dec. 2025
For Kylie, staying home to take care of four kids — especially two with diabetes — while her husband was away at his job running a cleaning business left her sleep deprived and stressed on a regular basis.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025
Elon Musk, already the world’s richest man, scored another huge windfall Friday when the Delaware Supreme Court reversed a decision that deprived him of a $55 billion pay package that Tesla doled out in 2018 as an incentive for its CEO to steer the automaker to new heights.
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deprive
Cite this Entry
“Deprive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deprive. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deprive
verb
de·prive
di-ˈprīv 
deprived; depriving
1
: to take something away from
deprive a ruler of power
2
: to stop from having something
deprived of sleep by street noises
deprivation
noun
ˌdep-rə-ˈvā-shən
Medical Definition
deprive
transitive verb
de·prive
di-ˈprīv
deprived; depriving
: to take something away from and especially something that is usually considered essential for mental or physical well-being
a child deprived of emotional support
tissue deprived of oxygen
Legal Definition
deprive
transitive verb
de·prive
deprived; depriving
: to take away or withhold something from
no person shall…be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law—U.S. Constitution amend. V
U.S. Constitution amend. VLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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