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deputy

UK/ˈdɛpjəti/US/ˈdɛpjəti/
nounB1Very common — you will meet it every day · #1,818 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: deputies

A deputy is the person who acts in place of the one in charge. The deputy head, act as deputy, deputy sheriff.

The role only matters when the principal is absent, which is why deputies are chosen for reliability rather than brilliance. In several countries a Deputy is a member of the lower house of parliament. Note depute, and that the Latin means appointed or assigned.

Definitions of deputy

  1. 1noundeputyThe person who acts in place of the one in charge.B1

    “While the head teacher is ill, her deputy will run the school.”

deputy is a substitute.

Where it comes from

French depute comes from Latin deputatus, appointed, from deputare, to assign. Repute and compute come from a related reckoning.

  1. Proto-Indo-European

    *pewH-

  2. Latin

    deputatus — appointed

  3. French

    député

  4. English, today

    deputy

From French député, from Latin deputatus (“appointed”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

deputy in the wild

  • In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president.

    Vice president

  • Lammy succeeded Starmer's first deputy, Angela Rayner, in a cabinet reshuffle following her resignation due to her involvement in a tax scandal.

    Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

  • The mayor appoints numerous officials, including deputy mayors and the commissioners who head city agencies and departments.

    Mayor of New York City

  • The deputy secretary is the principal civilian deputy to the secretary of defense, and is appointed by the president, with the advice and consent of the Senate.

    United States Deputy Secretary of Defense

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.