deposition
gb/dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/ us/dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/
C1
English
~ 8800
Senses
0 senses
Noun
technical
C1
entity
1
formal sworn testimony before trial
A formal statement that a person gives under oath, usually in a lawyer’s office, which can be used later in court.
Usage pattern:
to give a deposition about [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "deposition" with "deposit" (money put in a bank) because the words look similar. "Deposition" in this sense is only about legal testimony under oath, not about money or bank accounts.
Synonyms
testimony (More general word for spoken evidence in court; not limited to the pretrial setting.)
|
affidavit (A written sworn statement; similar legal purpose but not spoken questioning like a deposition.)
Antonyms
silence (Refers to not speaking or refusing to give information, the opposite of providing sworn testimony.)
Collocations
give a deposition
|sworn deposition
|video deposition
|take [someone's] deposition
|deposition transcript
|pretrial deposition
Themes
law
|work
|communication
Examples
- Her deposition contradicted what she had told the police on the night of the incident.
- The lawyer reviewed the witness’s deposition before deciding whether to settle the case.
- During his deposition, he admitted that he had altered the financial records.
- The video deposition will be played for the jury at trial.
- Both sides scheduled multiple depositions to prepare for the complex lawsuit.
Learner examples
- She gave a deposition in the lawyer’s office.
- His deposition will be used in the trial next month.
- The witness was nervous before his deposition.
- The lawyer asked many questions during the deposition.
- They watched the recording of her deposition in court.
Noun
formal
C1
action
2
removal of someone from power
The act of taking a king, leader, or official out of power, usually by force or by law.
Usage pattern:
the deposition of [a leader/official]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sense with the legal-testimony sense. In this political meaning, "deposition" is usually followed by "of" plus a leader or official (e.g. "the deposition of the king"), and does not involve speaking or giving evidence.
Synonyms
overthrow (Often suggests removal by force or revolution, whereas "deposition" can be legal or political as well as violent.)
|
ouster (Common in modern political and business English; slightly less formal than "deposition".)
Antonyms
accession (Refers to someone coming into power or office, the opposite of being removed.)
Collocations
the deposition of the king
|violent deposition
|peaceful deposition
|forcible deposition
|the deposition of the president
|military deposition
Themes
politics
|history
|law
Examples
- The sudden deposition of the president plunged the country into uncertainty.
- Historians still debate whether the king’s deposition was justified.
- Mass protests eventually led to the deposition of the authoritarian regime.
- The constitution outlines the process for the legal deposition of a corrupt judge.
- His deposition from office created a power vacuum at the top of the party.
Learner examples
- The revolution ended with the deposition of the king.
- People celebrated the deposition of the dictator.
- After his deposition, he left the country.
- The court ordered the deposition of the corrupt mayor.
- The movie shows the deposition of the old leader.
Noun
technical
C2
event
3
process of material being laid down
The process when sand, mud, chemicals, or other material are dropped and left in a new place, often slowly over time.
Usage pattern:
the deposition of [material] in [a place]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think "deposition" means a single pile of material, but in scientific English it usually refers to the process, not the object. The material itself is often called a "deposit."
Synonyms
accumulation (Emphasizes the result (a build-up) rather than the process itself.)
|
precipitation (In chemistry, can describe substances coming out of solution; narrower than general physical deposition.)
Antonyms
erosion (Refers to the wearing away and removal of material, which directly opposes the adding of material by deposition.)
Collocations
sediment deposition
|river deposition
|mineral deposition
|fat deposition
|deposition of pollutants
|soil deposition
Themes
science
|environment
|geography
|nature
Examples
- The river’s slow flow encourages the deposition of sediment along its banks.
- Calcium deposition in the arteries can lead to serious health problems.
- Glaciers play an important role in both erosion and deposition of rocks.
- Air pollution can result in the deposition of harmful chemicals on crops.
- Researchers measured the rate of sand deposition on the seafloor.
Learner examples
- The lake is getting shallower because of sand deposition.
- Ice and wind cause both erosion and deposition.
- Doctors found heavy metal deposition in the fish.
- The map shows areas of soil deposition after the flood.
- Rock layers show many years of deposition.
Noun
technical
C2
event
4
gas changing directly into solid
In science, the change when a gas turns straight into a solid, without becoming a liquid first.
Usage pattern:
deposition of [substance] on [surface]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sense with general material build-up. In this scientific meaning, "deposition" is a specific phase change (gas to solid), not just any kind of settling or layering.
Synonyms
desublimation (A more technical term used mainly in physics texts; rarely used in everyday language.)
Antonyms
sublimation (The opposite phase change, where a solid turns directly into a gas.)
Collocations
frost formation by deposition
|vapor deposition
|thin-film deposition
|deposition of ice crystals
|chemical vapor deposition
|physical vapor deposition
Themes
science
|physics
|chemistry
Examples
- Frost on a windowpane often forms through deposition rather than freezing liquid water.
- In the experiment, the deposition of iodine crystals on the cold surface was clearly visible.
- Many manufacturing processes rely on controlled vapor deposition to create thin films.
- Deposition occurs when water vapor in the air turns directly into ice on the ground.
- The textbook illustrates deposition as the reverse of sublimation in the phase diagram.
Learner examples
- Frost on the glass is an example of deposition.
- In deposition, a gas becomes a solid.
- Sublimation and deposition are opposite changes.
- The teacher showed deposition using a simple science experiment.
- Deposition can put a thin layer of metal on a surface.
Noun
literary
C2
event
5
removal of Christ from the Cross
In Christian art and stories, the moment when people take Jesus’s body down from the cross after he dies.
Usage pattern:
the Deposition from the Cross
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize this capitalized form "Deposition" is a specific religious art term, not the general legal or scientific meanings. It usually appears with capital D and often as part of the phrase "Deposition from the Cross."
Synonyms
Descent from the Cross (A near-equivalent phrase commonly used as a title for artworks showing the same biblical event.)
Collocations
the Deposition from the Cross
|a Deposition painting
|Deposition scene
|Deposition panel
|Deposition sculpture
|Deposition group
Themes
religion
|art
|history
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- The museum’s most famous work is a Renaissance Deposition by an unknown master.
- In this painting of the Deposition, the artist focuses on the grief of Mary and the disciples.
- Scholars have traced the evolution of the Deposition theme in medieval religious art.
- The sculptor carved a moving Deposition group for the cathedral’s main altar.
- The Deposition is one of several key scenes from the Passion depicted in the chapel.
Learner examples
- We saw a Deposition painting in the church.
- This artwork shows the Deposition from the Cross.
- The Deposition is an important story in Christian art.
- Many old churches have pictures of the Deposition.
- The book has a chapter on the Deposition in medieval art.
Grammar
Dictionary form
deposition
IPA
GB/dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/
US/dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
de - pos - ition (3 syllables)
Stress on 3rd syllable (ition)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: deposition
- Plural: deposition, depositions
Word family
Expressions
give a deposition
1/ɡˈɪv ə dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
provide sworn legal testimony
To answer questions under oath in a formal meeting, usually in a lawyer’s office, so that your words can be used later in court.
Examples
- She had to give a deposition before the trial could begin.
- The witness will give a deposition next week at the law firm.
- He refused to give a deposition, citing his right not to incriminate himself.
sworn deposition
1/swˈɔɹn dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
deposition given under oath
A formal statement that a person gives under oath, where it is a crime to lie.
Examples
- In her sworn deposition, she admitted that she had seen the accident.
- The jury heard parts of his sworn deposition during the trial.
take a deposition
1/tˈeɪk ə dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
question and record a witness
For a lawyer or official, to ask a person questions under oath and record their answers before a trial.
Examples
- The attorney will take a deposition from each of the key witnesses.
- We need to take a deposition of the doctor who treated the victim.
- Because of scheduling problems, the judge allowed the lawyers to take a video deposition.
the Deposition from the Cross
1/ðə dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən fɹˈʌm ðə kɹˈɔs/
fixed phrase
literary
art scene of Christ removed from Cross
The name for the moment in the Bible, and for artworks showing it, when Jesus’s body is taken down from the cross after he dies.
Examples
- Several paintings in the gallery show the Deposition from the Cross.
- Her research focuses on the Deposition from the Cross in Baroque art.
video deposition
1/vˈɪdioʊ dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
deposition recorded on video
A deposition that is filmed, so the court can later watch the person speaking.
Examples
- Because the witness was ill, the lawyers arranged a video deposition.
- The jury watched the video deposition instead of hearing the witness in person.