Meaning & use
deny
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To say that something is not true, or that you did not do it.
Grammar: Takes an object or -ing: she denied the charge, he denied taking it.
Patterns
- deny something
- deny doing something
- deny that something is true
He denied stealing the bicycle.
The spokesman denied that the company had lied.
She cannot deny that she was nervous.
verbtransitive
To refuse to give someone something they want or are entitled to.
Grammar: Takes two objects: deny someone something.
Patterns
- deny someone something
- deny something to someone
The embassy denied him a visa.
Prisoners must not be denied medical treatment.
The guard denied entry to anyone without a ticket.
verbtransitive
To refuse to accept that something exists or is real.
Grammar: Often used with yourself or a feeling: deny your feelings.
Patterns
- deny yourself something
- deny the existence of something
It is hard to deny the effects of climate change.
She denied herself dessert for a month.
Some people deny their fears instead of facing them.
Word forms
| third person singular | denies |
|---|---|
| past tense and past participle | denied |
| present participle | denying |
Common combinations
- deny an allegation
- The player denied the allegation firmly.
- deny access
- The court denied access to the files.
- deny a request
- The manager denied our request for extra time.
- deny involvement
- The suspect denied any involvement.
- cannot deny
- I cannot deny that I was jealous.
- deny yourself
- He would not deny himself a coffee on the way home.
Synonyms and how they differ
- refute
- Refute means to prove something false, while deny only means saying it is not true.
- reject
- Reject suggests turning down an idea or offer, whereas deny can be about facts or requests.
- contradict
- Contradict means saying the opposite of what someone else said, while deny is about a claim made against you.
- refuse
- Refuse is only about saying no to doing or giving something, never to disputing a fact.
Opposites
Word family
- denial noun
- the act of denying
- deniable adjective
- possible to deny
- undeniable adjective
- certainly true
- undeniably adverb
- without any doubt
Commonly confused: deny or deny vs. refute?
deny vs deny vs. refute
Many writers use refute to mean deny, but strictly refute means to prove wrong with evidence.
Practice
The suspect ___ having been at the scene of the crime.
Choose one answer.
Deny takes -ing to say you did not do something. Refused and declined need a to-infinitive, and rejected needs a noun object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deny”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.