Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense denies, present participle denying, past tense, past participle denied
1. verb
When you deny something, you state that it is not true.
She denied both accusations. [VERB noun]
The government has denied that there was a plot to assassinate the president. [VERB that]
They all denied ever having seen her. [VERB verb-ing]
Synonyms: contradict, oppose, counter, disagree with More Synonyms of deny
2. verb
If you deny someone or something, you say that they have no connection with you or do not belong to you.
[formal]
I denied my father because I wanted to become someone else. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: renounce, reject, discard, revoke More Synonyms of deny
3. verb
If you deny someone something that they need or want, you refuse to let them have it.
If he is unlucky, he may find that his ex-partner denies him access to his children. [VERB noun noun]
Don't deny yourself pleasure. [V pron-refl n]
My mother denied herself for us. [VERB pronoun-reflexive]
Synonyms: refuse, decline, forbid, reject More Synonyms of deny
deny in British English
(dɪˈnaɪ)
verbWord forms: -nies, -nying or -nied(transitive)
1.
to declare (an assertion, statement, etc) to be untrue
they denied that they were involved
2.
to reject as false; refuse to accept or believe
3.
to withhold; refuse to give
4.
to refuse to fulfil the requests or expectations of
it is hard to deny a child
5.
to refuse to acknowledge or recognize; disown; disavow
the baron denied his wicked son
6.
to refuse (oneself) things desired
Word origin
C13: from Old French denier, from Latin dēnegāre, from negāre
deny in American English
(diˈnaɪ; dɪˈnaɪ)
verb transitiveWord forms: deˈnied or deˈnying
1.
to declare (a statement) untrue; contradict
2.
to refuse to accept as true or right; reject as unfounded, unreal, etc.
3.
to refuse to acknowledge as one's own; disown; repudiate
4.
to refuse the use of or access to
5.
to refuse to grant or give
6.
to refuse the request of (a person)
7. Obsolete
to forbid
Idioms:
deny oneself
SYNONYMY NOTE: deny implies a refusal to accept as true, real, valid, existent, or tenable [he denied the charge]; to gainsay is to dispute what a person says or to challenge the person saying it [facts that cannot be gainsaid]; contradict not only implies emphatic denial, but, in addition, often suggests belief or evidencethat the opposite or contrary is true; , impugn implies a direct, forceful attack against that which one calls into question [she impugned his motives]
Word origin
ME denien < OFr denier < L denegare < de-, intens. + negare, to deny: see negation
Examples of 'deny' in a sentence
deny
The disabled and seriously ill are denied access to the extra care these benefits allow.
The Sun (2016)
The jealous husband denied plotting arson but was found guilty by a jury.
The Sun (2016)
Two other soldiers have been charged but deny any offence.
The Sun (2016)
Human rights groups point out that she has been denied access to a lawyer.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The government swiftly denied this but news footage of fighting outside banks has not helped to allay public fears.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Russian officials have denied government involvement.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
More than a third have not been given a formal diagnosis, denying them access to support.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Berlin, meanwhile, has also denied it is plotting a rescue.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Yet to deny the critics access for weeks and weeks still seems questionable.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Four other people have admitted being part of the plot while three deny involvement.
The Sun (2012)
He denies the charges and the trial continues.
The Sun (2016)
The government hastily denied any part in it.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Women have been systematically denied access to resources and thus to power.
Lee Harvey Critical Social Research (1990)
Both men and a pal deny the plot.
The Sun (2006)
He denies false imprisonment and a threat to kill.
The Sun (2012)
The government has strongly denied that he was an agent or that it had paid him.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He was denied access to the executive dining room.
Christianity Today (2000)
He admits the killings but denies terror charges.
The Sun (2012)
He also denied a false trades description.
The Sun (2006)
He also denied working with government forces.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
All the men deny the charges against them.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
By refusing to increase indirect taxation it could deny the imperial government the money it needed.
Grenville, J. A. S. The Collins History of the World in the 20th Century (1994)
All of the defendants deny the fraud charges.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Government spokesmen denied that her presence had any political significance but it sparked furious criticism from the opposition.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The agency also claims that it denies access to companies that have breached the industry code on parking enforcement.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
All the defendants deny false imprisonment.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
He had denied false accounting but changed his not guilty plea three days into a three-week trial.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In other languages
deny
British English: deny /dɪˈnaɪ/ VERB
If you deny something, you say that it is not true.
She denied both accusations.
American English: deny
Arabic: يُنْكِرُ
Brazilian Portuguese: negar
Chinese: 否认
Croatian: nijekati
Czech: popřít
Danish: nægte
Dutch: ontkennen
European Spanish: negar
Finnish: kieltää vastata kieltävästi
French: nier
German: bestreiten
Greek: διαψεύδω
Italian: negare
Japanese: 否定する
Korean: 부정하다 부정적
Norwegian: nekte
Polish: zaprzeczyć
European Portuguese: negar
Romanian: a nega
Russian: отрицать
Latin American Spanish: negar
Swedish: förneka
Thai: ปฏิเสธ
Turkish: inkar etmek
Ukrainian: заперечувати
Vietnamese: phủ nhận
All related terms of 'deny'
deny fraud
Fraud is the crime of gaining money or financial benefits by a trick or by lying.
deny oneself
to do without desired things
deny a claim
If an insurance company denies a claim , it refuses to pay a claim submitted by a policyholder .
deny liability
If you are liable for something such as a debt, you are legally responsible for it.
deny treatment
Treatment is medical attention given to a sick or injured person or animal.
deny counts of
In law, a count is one of a number of charges brought against someone in court.
deny responsibility
If you accept responsibility for something that has happened , you agree that you were to blame for it or you caused it.
deny the reality
The reality of a situation is the truth about it, especially when it is unpleasant or difficult to deal with.
deny the existence of
The existence of something is the fact that it is present in the world as a real thing.
Chinese translation of 'deny'
deny
(dɪˈnaɪ)
vt
[charge, allegation, accusation]否定 (fǒudìng)
to deny sb sth[permission, chance, access]拒绝(絕)某人某事 (jùjué mǒurén mǒushì)