deny
verbUK /dɪˈnaɪ/ · US /dəˈnaɪ/
Etymology From Middle English denyen, from Old French denoier (“to deny, to repudiate”) (French dénier), from Latin denegare (“to deny, to refuse”), from de- (“away”) and negare (“to refuse”), the latter ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *né (“no, not”). Doublet of denegate.
7 senses
1
To disallow or reject.
- I wanted to go to the party, but I was denied.
- 'Do! pray do! I shall be the most miserable of men if you don't. You cannot be so cruel as to deny me a favour so easily granted and yet so highly prized!' pleaded he as ardently as if his life depended on it.1847, Anne Brontë, chapter XVI, in Agnes Grey:
1 more example
- The proposition that foreigners may be depriving British workers of their cod is politically potent. […] This argument, of course, denies the long British history of overfishing and the fact that the dread Spanish supertrawlers, which are now so universally denounced, wre a British invention.1997, Mark Kurlansky, Cod, page 209:
2
To assert that something is not true.
- to deny a rumour to deny an allegation
- I deny that I was at the party.
3 more examples
- Everyone knows he committed the crime, but he still denies it.
- [N]ow ſuch a liue vngodly, vvithout a care of doing the wil of the Lord (though they profeſſe him in their mouths, yea though they beleeue and acknowledge all the Articles of the Creed, yea haue knowledge of the Scripturs) yet if they liue vngodly, they deny God, and therefore ſhal be denied, […]1604, Jeremy Corderoy, A Short Dialogve, wherein is Proved, that No Man can be Saved without Good VVorkes, 2nd edition, Oxford: Printed by Ioseph Barnes, and are to be sold in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the Crowne, by Simon Waterson, →OCLC, page 40:
- But Myler and Crone told the committee in September that they had made Murdoch aware at the 10 June 2008 meeting that hacking was not restricted to a single journalist. They claimed this was the reason Murdoch agreed to settle the Taylor's case. James Murdoch subsequently wrote to the committee to deny this.2011 November 1, James Robinson, Lisa O'Carroll, “Phone hacking: NoW warned about 'culture of illegal information access'”, in The Guardian:
3
To refuse to give or grant something to someone.
- My father denied me a good education.
- To some men, it is more agreeable to deny a vicious inclination, than to gratify it.1754, Jonathan Edwards, An Inquiry into the Modern Prevailing Notions Respecting that Freedom of the Will which is supposed to be Essential to Moral Agency:
1 more example
- A mother who urgently needs a kidney transplant has branded the system which denied her the organs of her dying daughter as "ridiculous".2008 April 12, “Mother denied daughter's organs”, in BBC:
4
To take something away from someone; to deprive of.
5
Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports To prevent from scoring.
- Another Karadeniz cross led to Cudicini's first save of the night, with the Spurs keeper making up for a weak punch by brilliantly pushing away Christian Noboa's snap-shot. Two more top-class stops followed quickly afterwards, first from Natcho's rasping shot which was heading into the top corner, and then to deny Ryazantsev at his near post.2011 November 3, Chris Bevan, “Rubin Kazan 1 - 0 Tottenham”, in BBC Sport:
6
To disclaim connection with, responsibility for, etc.; to refuse to acknowledge; to disown; to abjure; to disavow.
- Jesus prophesied that by the time the cock crowed, Peter would have denied him three times.
- the falsehood of denying his opinion1834–1874, George Bancroft, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent, volume (please specify |volume=I to X), Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company [et al.], →OCLC:
2 more examples
- thou thrice denied, yet thrice beloved1827, John Keble, The Christian Year:
- Permission to leave these confines has only been granted on the conditions that we deny ourselves and blend in with the Straight Monolith1971, Bart Moncq, Body Politic, number 1, page 8:
7
Obsolete To refuse (to do or accept something).
- if you deny to dancec. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
- Derived terms
- delie, deniability, deniable, deniance, denier, denyingly, deny of, deny oneself, indeniably, justice delayed is justice denied, redeny, self-denying, undeniable, undeniably, undenied
- Related terms
- denial