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 The campaign to ban TikTok deserves close scrutiny, covering such issues as who’s really behind it and why this platform is taking more heat from lawmakers than all other social media platforms put together. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 The film relives the many stunning moments of Luther’s musical career, while exploring his unrequited love life, health struggles, and a lifelong battle to earn the respect his music deserved. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 Biden will say the deal deserves scrutiny but will stop short of saying it should be blocked. Alan Murray, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024 In some ways, this whole frenzy—this investigation of Middleton’s body—stems from a belief that her physical figure is something that the public owns, or at least deserves to see constantly. Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024 Schiff’s beneficence deserves much of the credit for ensuring what has become an all too common feature of California’s general elections: a statewide contest in which a Democrat will probably trounce a sacrificial Republican instead of facing real competition from within his own party. David Daley, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 But through it all, our heroes remained the same trio of magical misfits who met on the Hogwarts Express that fateful Sept. 1 and deserve a place in the pop culture hall of fame because of it. EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024 After the defeat, Djokovic was extremely critical of his own performance, while also acknowledging Nardi deserved the win. Ben Morse, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 From 2017 to 2019, Derek was under attack by a rogue police chief and corrupt mayor, who frankly, deserve to be in prison. The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 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 28 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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