Word
deprive
Meanings
To take something away from someone or prevent them from having it, especially something important or necessary.
To keep someone from having basic needs or resources, leading to hardship.
Definition
To deprive someone of something is to take it away or prevent them from having it.
To deprive means to remove something important from someone or to stop them from having it. It is often used when someone loses a right, opportunity, or resource. The verb commonly appears in the pattern “deprive someone of something.” It can also describe a situation where people lack basic needs because they are not provided.
Examples
- The new policy may deprive remote workers of the flexibility they rely on.
- I felt the sudden blackout would deprive me of any chance to finish the report on time.
- She refused to let one harsh review deprive her of the confidence to apply again.
- They argued that cutting the arts budget would deprive students of meaningful creative outlets.
Common mistake
Learners often forget the preposition and say “deprive someone something” instead of “deprive someone of something.”
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More verbs
- analyze To examine something carefully in order to understand it or explain it.
- scrutinize To scrutinize something is to examine it very carefully and in detail.
- affect To affect something is to influence it or cause it to change.
- allude To allude means to mention or suggest something indirectly without saying it clearly.
- elude To elude someone or something is to avoid being caught, understood, or remembered.