Meaning & use
deposit
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To put money into a bank account.
Grammar: Takes an object and often in or into: deposit the check in your account.
Patterns
- deposit something in something
- deposit something into something
She deposited her paycheck on Friday.
He deposited two hundred dollars into his savings account.
You can deposit checks using the mobile app.
verbtransitive
To put something down in a particular place, often carefully or for safekeeping.
Grammar: Takes an object and a place: deposit the bag on the table.
Patterns
- deposit something somewhere
The courier deposited the parcel on the porch.
He deposited his keys in the bowl by the door.
The river deposits rich soil on its banks.
nouncountable
A sum of money paid into an account, or paid as a first payment to secure a purchase or rental.
Grammar: Often followed by on: a deposit on a car.
Patterns
- a deposit on something
- a deposit for something
We paid a deposit on the apartment.
The landlord returned her security deposit in full.
She made a deposit at the bank before lunch.
nouncountabletechnical
A layer or amount of a material built up naturally, such as minerals in the ground or sediment.
Grammar: Used in geology and mining: gold deposits.
Patterns
- deposits of something
Geologists found large deposits of coal under the hills.
Calcium deposits had formed inside the kettle.
Word forms
| plural | deposits |
|---|---|
| third person singular | deposits |
| past tense | deposited |
| past participle | deposited |
| -ing form | depositing |
Common combinations
- security deposit
- The security deposit is refundable.
- deposit a check
- I need to deposit this check today.
- pay a deposit
- You must pay a deposit to reserve the room.
- mineral deposit
- A rich mineral deposit was found near the lake.
- bank deposit
- The bank deposit was credited the next morning.
- deposit slip
- Fill out a deposit slip at the counter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- put
- Put is the simple, general verb, while deposit suggests putting something somewhere official or safe, such as a bank.
- pay in
- Pay in is a British phrasal verb that means the same as deposit money in a bank, in a more casual style.
- down payment
- Down payment is a first payment toward a large purchase, which fits only the noun sense of paying part up front.
- layer
- Layer, in the geological sense, suggests an even stratum, but deposit stresses material left behind or laid down.
Opposites
Word family
- depositor noun
- a person who puts money in a bank
- depository noun
- a place where things are stored
- deposition noun
- sworn statement, or the laying down of sediment
- redeposit verb
- to deposit again
Commonly confused: deposit or depose?
deposit vs depose
Depose means to remove someone from power, while deposit means to put something down or pay it in.
Practice
I need to ___ this check before the bank closes.
Choose one answer.
Deposit means to put money into an account. Withdraw is the opposite action of taking money out.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deposit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.