deserve
verb
de·serve di-ˈzərv 
deserved; deserving
transitive verb
: to be worthy of : merit
deserves another chance
intransitive verb
: to be worthy, fit, or suitable for some reward or requital
… have become recognized as they deserve.
T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliota worse punishment than he deserved
deserver noun
Synonyms
- earn
- merit
- rate
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
the team really deserved that victory after the way they played
Recent Examples on the Web The stories are pretty much all amazing, but there are two players in particular that deserve special shout-outs. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 16 Sep. 2022 Team Forrest Stump raced 198 miles to spread the message that people with disabilities deserve equitable access to participation in physical activity. Allison Torres Burtka, Outside Online, 16 Sep. 2022 Edwards said that community members already working to respond to and prevent gun violence deserve better from county leadership. Gavin Good, Chicago Tribune, 16 Sep. 2022 But there are many terrific takes on the grape produced in much less familiar locales that deserve to be much better known. Lettie Teague, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2022 But the software used to manage billing may deserve scrutiny in the thousands of bills being overestimated or otherwise wrong, current and former officials said. Heather Gann | Hgann@al.com, al, 14 Sep. 2022 Teenagers deserve to grow, develop, and experiment, says Caitriona Fitzgerald, deputy director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a nonprofit advocacy group. WIRED, 14 Sep. 2022 Two players who deserve zero blame are running back Jonathan Taylor and receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Gregg Doyel, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2022 There are so many stories within all of us—stories that deserve to be heard and appreciated. Kristen Bateman, Harper's BAZAAR, 11 Sep. 2022 See More
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 16 Sep. 2022 Team Forrest Stump raced 198 miles to spread the message that people with disabilities deserve equitable access to participation in physical activity. Allison Torres Burtka, Outside Online, 16 Sep. 2022 Edwards said that community members already working to respond to and prevent gun violence deserve better from county leadership. Gavin Good, Chicago Tribune, 16 Sep. 2022 But there are many terrific takes on the grape produced in much less familiar locales that deserve to be much better known. Lettie Teague, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2022 But the software used to manage billing may deserve scrutiny in the thousands of bills being overestimated or otherwise wrong, current and former officials said. Heather Gann | Hgann@al.com, al, 14 Sep. 2022 Teenagers deserve to grow, develop, and experiment, says Caitriona Fitzgerald, deputy director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a nonprofit advocacy group. WIRED, 14 Sep. 2022 Two players who deserve zero blame are running back Jonathan Taylor and receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Gregg Doyel, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2022 There are so many stories within all of us—stories that deserve to be heard and appreciated. Kristen Bateman, Harper's BAZAAR, 11 Sep. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French deservir, from Latin deservire to devote oneself to, from de- + servire to serve
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Phrases Containing deserve
Kids Definition
deserve
verb
de·serve di-ˈzərv
deserved; deserving
: to have earned because of some act or quality
deserve
verb
as in to earn
to be or make worthy of (as a reward or punishment) the team really deserved that victory after the way they played Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- earn
- merit
- qualify
- rate
- entitle