Definition

1. Noun:

   • A sum of money placed or kept in a bank account: Money that is put into a bank for safekeeping or to earn interest.
   • A sum of money given as a security or first payment: A partial payment or a pledge of money to guarantee a future transaction or the safe return of something borrowed.
   • A layer or mass of accumulated matter: A natural accumulation of material, such as sediment, minerals, or silt.
   • The act of placing something somewhere: The action of putting or leaving something in a specific location.
   • A place for safekeeping: A facility where items can be left for storage or protection.

2. Verb:

   • To put or set down firmly or carefully: To place something in a particular spot.
   • To place money in a bank account or with someone as a security: To entrust funds to a bank or give money as a pledge.
   • To lay down or leave behind by a natural process: For a substance to settle or accumulate, often from a liquid or through geological activity.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • She made a large deposit into her savings account.
  • The landlord required a security deposit equal to one month's rent.
  • Geologists discovered a rich mineral deposit in the mountains.
  • The river's flow left a deposit of silt on the floodplain.

• Verb:

  • Please deposit your keys at the front desk.
  • I need to deposit this check before the end of the day.
  • Over centuries, the volcano deposited a thick layer of ash over the region.

Advanced Usage

• "On deposit": Referring to money that is currently held in a bank account.

  • The funds are on deposit and earning interest.

• "Time deposit" / "Fixed deposit": A bank deposit with a fixed term and typically a higher interest rate, from which withdrawals cannot be made before maturity without penalty.

  • He put his savings into a one-year fixed deposit.

• "Deposit slip": A form used to list items being deposited into a bank account.

  • Fill out the deposit slip with the check amount.

Variants and Related Words

• Depositor (n): A person or entity that places money in a bank or makes a deposit.

  • The bank guarantees the safety of each depositor's funds.

• Depository (n): A place where things are stored for safekeeping; a repository.

  • The library serves as a depository for historical documents.

• Deposition (n): The action or process of depositing something. (Also has a specific meaning in law: sworn testimony out of court).

  • The deposition of sediment changed the coastline.

Synonyms

• Noun: Installment, down payment, sediment, accumulation, layer.
• Verb: Place, put down, lodge, bank, save.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Deposit with: To leave something in the care of someone or some institution.
  • Valuable documents were deposited with the lawyer for safekeeping.

Related Idioms

• "Safe as houses" / "Safe as a bank deposit": Extremely safe and secure. (Note: While not containing the word "deposit," the concept of a bank deposit is the archetype of safety in this idiom).
  • Your investment is as safe as a bank deposit.

Noun

1. the act of putting something somewhere
2. a facility where things can be deposited for storage or safekeeping
3. a payment given as a guarantee that an obligation will be met
4. money given as security for an article acquired for temporary use
   • his deposit was refunded when he returned the car
5. a partial payment made at the time of purchase; the balance to be paid later
6. money deposited in a bank or some similar institution
7. the natural process of laying down a deposit of something
8. matter that has been deposited by some natural process
9. the phenomenon of sediment or gravel accumulating

Verb

1. put (something somewhere) firmly
   • She posited her hand on his shoulder
   • deposit the suitcase on the bench
   • fix your eyes on this spot
2. put into a bank account
   • She deposits her paycheck every month
3. put, fix, force, or implant
   • lodge a bullet in the table
   • stick your thumb in the crack