denied; denying; denies
1
: to declare (something) to be untrue
They denied the allegations.
2
: to refuse to admit or acknowledge (something) : disavow
denied responsibility for the vandalism
3
a
: to give a negative answer to
denying the petitioners
b
: to refuse to grant
deny a request
was denied a refund
c
: to restrain (oneself) from gratification of desires
unwilling to deny himself the foods that he loves
4
: to refuse to accept the existence, truth, or validity of
There's no denying her expertise.
You can't deny that he's a good singer.
5
medical
: to report or note the absence of (a symptom)
The patient denies pruritus …—
David A. Fisher
David A. Fisher6
archaic
: decline
Synonyms
Examples of deny in a Sentence
He denied the report that he would be quitting his job.
She denies all the charges that have been made against her.
The police deny that racism is a problem in the department.
Yes, I was there. I don't deny it.
The judge denied their request.
a government that denies its citizens basic freedoms
Recent Examples on the Web
Motions by Yandell and Sylvester to overturn their guilty verdicts were denied by a federal judge this month and they’re set to be sentenced on Dec. 18, records show.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
The insurers denied the accusations and convinced a judge to dismiss the suits on technical grounds.
—Max Blau, ProPublica, 14 Nov. 2024
Georgia officials denied his request and the electoral count went on over his objections.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 14 Nov. 2024
The Biden administration has said that China has had a listening post in Cuba for years, something the Cuban government denies.
—Carmen Sesin, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deny 
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Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
The insurers denied the accusations and convinced a judge to dismiss the suits on technical grounds.
—Max Blau, ProPublica, 14 Nov. 2024
Georgia officials denied his request and the electoral count went on over his objections.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 14 Nov. 2024
The Biden administration has said that China has had a listening post in Cuba for years, something the Cuban government denies.
—Carmen Sesin, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deny
Dictionary Entries Near deny
Cite this Entry
“Deny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deny. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deny
verb
de·ny
di-ˈnī 
denied; denying
1
: to declare not to be true : contradict
deny a report
2
: to refuse to grant
deny a request
3
: to refuse to accept the existence or truth of
Legal Definition
deny
transitive verb
de·ny
denied; denying
1
: to declare untrue
a party must…admit or deny the allegations—Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 8(b)
compare avoid
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 8(b)2
: to refuse to grant
denied the motion for a new trial
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