A deputy is the second most important person in an organization such as a business or government department. Someone's deputy often acts on their behalf when they are not there.
...France's minister for culture and his deputy.
...the academy's deputy director, Vladimir Kudryatsev.
Synonyms: substitute, representative, stand-in, ambassador More Synonyms of deputy
2. countable noun
In some parliaments or law-making bodies, the elected members are called deputies.
The president appealed to deputies to approve the plan quickly.
More Synonyms of deputy
deputy in British English
(ˈdɛpjʊtɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-ties
1.
a.
a person appointed to act on behalf of or represent another
b.
(as modifier)
the deputy head teacher
2.
a member of the legislative assembly or of the lower chamber of the legislature in various countries, such as France
3. British mining another word for fireman (sense 4)
Word origin
C16: from Old French depute, from deputer to appoint; see depute
deputy in American English
(ˈdɛpjuti; ˈdɛpjəti; ˈdɛpəti)
nounWord forms: pluralˈdeputies
1.
a person appointed to act as a substitute for, or as an assistant to, another
2.
a member of any of certain national legislatures or their lower houses, as in France, Italy, or Albania
adjective
3.
acting as deputy
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈagent
Word origin
ME depute < Anglo-Fr deputé, pp. of OFr deputer: see depute
Examples of 'deputy' in a sentence
deputy
Some prominent figures questioned the accusations against the minister, a former deputy chairman of the central bank who is known for writing poetry.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
By law, if either the first minister or deputy first minister resigns, the other goes too.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
He has quit as a deputy district judge but not as an immigration judge.
The Sun (2014)
The split produced a contest for the deputy leadership that dragged in all its main players.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The deputy leadership contest is far more open.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
She has since become deputy governor at another jail.
The Sun (2014)
They called for an external deputy chairman to be recruited to the board to ensure there was an independent voice.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In public companies, I have found that the presence of a deputy chairman often spells trouble.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In other languages
deputy
British English: deputy NOUN
A deputy is the second most important person in an organization.
…the minister for culture and his deputy.
American English: deputy
Brazilian Portuguese: suplente
Chinese: 副手
European Spanish: segundo
French: adjoint
German: Stellvertreter
Italian: vice
Japanese: 副
Korean: 부~
European Portuguese: suplente
Latin American Spanish: segundo
All related terms of 'deputy'
deputy head
a vice-principal
deputy leader
The leader of a group of people or an organization is the person who is in control of it or in charge of it.
deputy minister
(in Canada ) the senior civil servant in a government department
deputy sheriff
a person that is authorized to act as sheriff in certain circumstances