Deposition | Definition of Deposition by Merriam-Webster

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deposition

noun

de·po·si·tion | \ ?de-p?-?zi-sh?n

, ?d?-p?- \

Definition of deposition

1 a law : a testifying especially before a court was sworn in before giving his deposition

b : declaration specifically , law : testimony taken down in writing under oath took depositions from the witnesses

c law : out-of-court testimony made under oath and recorded by an authorized officer for later use in court gave a videotaped deposition about what she witnessed also : a meeting at which such testimony is taken

2 : an act or process of laying someone or something down or letting something fall : an act or process of depositing the deposition of earth and stone by glaciers

3 : something deposited : deposit Moraines are glacial depositions .

4 : an act of removing from a position of authority : an act of deposing deposition of a king

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Examples of deposition in a Sentence

She gave a videotaped deposition about what she saw that night. His attorneys took depositions from the witnesses. the deposition of sand and gravel on the river bed

Recent Examples on the Web

Cosby's lawyers also argue the commonwealth previously agreed he would never be prosecuted for the allegations in the deposition . — Eric Levenson, CNN , "Bill Cosby challenges prior victims' testimony in appeal of his assault conviction," 25 June 2019 Without explanation, the Panel has refused to allow even the scheduling of depositions . — Eriq Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter , "Former Fox News Star Tests Anti-Arbitration Rule for Sexual Harassment Claims," 16 July 2019 This April, Wright’s lawyers filed a motion asking the judge in the case to seal Wright’s responses to certain deposition questions. — Evan Ratliff, WIRED , "Was Bitcoin Created by This International Drug Dealer? Maybe!," 16 July 2019 Moreno and Foxen also said they were punished by Spagnoli for giving depositions favorable to Rosen’s case, according to court documents. — Wire Services, The Mercury News , "Beverly Hills loses another suit against police chief," 12 July 2019 It was also noted in the motion, filed more than a week ago, that a sheriff is not typically required to be part of a deposition and can designate a deputy to do it instead. — Christopher Harress | Charress@al.com, al.com , "Gulf Coast Sheriff denies being part of sex ring that involved children and a deputy," 3 July 2019 The evidence was submitted in an ex parte filing on Thursday, which included a deposition from an incident response engineer at Twitch. — Russell Brandom, The Verge , "Twitch is closing in on its Christchurch trolls," 29 June 2019 She is also supposed to go give her car crash deposition to the lawyer on this day. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com , "R29 Binge Club: Netflix’s Trinkets Recap," 15 June 2019 The depositions also painted Infowars as an organization run entirely by Jones. — Oliver Darcy, CNN , "Alex Jones hit with sanctions by judge in Sandy Hook lawsuit," 18 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deposition.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback .

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Dictionary Entries near deposition

deposition from the cross

deposit money

deposit of faith

Statistics for deposition

Last Updated

5 Aug 2019

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Time Traveler for deposition

The first known use of deposition was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for deposition

deposition

noun

English Language Learners Definition of deposition

law : a formal statement that someone who has promised to tell the truth makes so that the statement can be used in court especially : a formal statement that is made before a trial by a witness who will not be present at the trial

technical : the action of depositing something (such as sand, snow, or mud) on a surface or area especially over a period of time

formal : the act removing someone from a powerful position : the act of deposing someone

See the full definition for deposition in the English Language Learners Dictionary

deposition

noun

de·po·si·tion | \ ?dep-?-?zi-sh?n

, ?d?-p?-

Medical Definition of deposition

1 : a process of depositing something the deposition and clearance of a metabolic product

2 : something deposited : deposit beta-amyloid depositions in Alzheimer's disease

deposition

noun

de·po·si·tion | \ ?de-p?-?zi-sh?n

Legal Definition of deposition

1 a : a statement that is made under oath by a party or witness (as an expert) in response to oral examination or written questions and that is recorded by an authorized officer (as a court reporter) broadly : affidavit

b : the certified document recording such a statement ? compare interrogatory

2 : the hearing at which a deposition is made the deposition takes place where the deponent answers the questions — Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 30(b)(4)

Note: A deposition can be used as a method of discovery, to preserve the testimony of a witness who is likely to become unavailable for trial, or for impeachment of testimony at trial. Depositions are distinguished from affidavits by the requirement that notice and an opportunity to cross-examine the deponent must be given to the other party.