deserve

verb

de·​serve di-ˈzərv How to pronounce deserve (audio)
deserved; deserving

transitive verb

: to be worthy of : merit
deserves another chance

intransitive verb

: to be worthy, fit, or suitable for some reward or requital
… have become recognized as they deserve.T. S. Eliot
a worse punishment than he deserved
deserver noun

Examples of deserve in a Sentence

the team really deserved that victory after the way they played
Recent Examples on the Web With the directions and a chart for tracking usage printed on every bag, this sterilization system deserves extra points for convenience. Samson McDougall, Parents, 5 Mar. 2024 So White and Lauer, who opposed putting the stadium sales tax issue on the April 2 ballot because many questions remained unanswered, now want the sports complex authority to look into the claim, writing that county voters deserve the information before casting their ballots. Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 Your cold toes deserve the comfort of the best bath mats. Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 4 Mar. 2024 This slightly fancy, yet quite easy, way to serve eggs and toast deserves the slightly fancy name of Goldenrod Eggs. Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2024 Following last week's loss in her home state of South Carolina, Haley remained adamant that voters in the places that followed deserved an alternative to Trump despite his dominance thus far in the campaign. CBS News, 3 Mar. 2024 Related Articles Editorial: Even wealthy Piedmont residents deserve honest ballot information about their taxes There’s not yet been enough voting by mail history in California to say what that might signal for overall primary turnout. John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024 Jennifer Lawrence deserves more recognition for her bold and sophisticated fashion choices. Alex Kessler, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2024 The fans didn’t deserve to have to hear about that. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deserve.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English deserven, disserven "to be worthy of, attain what one deserves," borrowed from Anglo-French deservir, desservir, deserver "to deserve, merit, earn, be entitled to" (also continental Old & Middle French), going back to Medieval Latin dēservīre "to serve, officiate (at mass), hold land by service, earn, deserve," going back to Latin, "to spend one's time in, devote oneself (to pursuits, interests), be submissive to, comply with," from dē- de- + servīre "to perform duties for (a master) in the capacity of a slave, act in subservience, be at the service of" — more at serve entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of deserve was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near deserve

Cite this Entry

“Deserve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deserve. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

deserve

verb
de·​serve di-ˈzərv How to pronounce deserve (audio)
deserved; deserving
: to be worthy of : merit
deserves another chance

More from Merriam-Webster on deserve

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