Meaning of “deposit” in the English Dictionary

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"deposit" in English

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depositverb

uk ​ /dɪˈpɒz.ɪt/ us ​ /dɪˈpɑː.zɪt/

deposit verb (MONEY)

C1 [ T ] to put something valuable, especially money, in a bank or safe (= strong box or cupboard with locks):

There's a night safe outside the bank, so you can deposit money whenever you wish.
I deposited £500 in my account this morning.

› [ T ] to pay someone an amount of money when you make an agreement with that person to pay for or buy something, that either will be returned to you later, if the agreed arrangement is kept, or that forms part of the total payment:

When we moved in, we had to deposit $1,000 with the landlord in case we broke any of his things.
You deposit 20 percent now and pay the rest when the car is delivered.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

depositnoun

uk ​ /dɪˈpɒz.ɪt/ us ​ /dɪˈpɑː.zɪt/

deposit noun (LAYER)

C2 [ C or U ] a substance or layer that is left, usually after a liquid is removed:

Decant the wine carefully, so that you leave the deposit in the bottom of the bottle.
In hard-water areas, a chalky deposit often forms in pipes and kettles.
The flood left a thick deposit of mud over the entire ground floor of the house.

C2 [ C ] specialized geology a layer that has formed under the ground, especially over a long period:

mineral/oil/coal deposits

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

deposit noun (MONEY)

C1 [ C ] a payment, especially into a bank account:

To open an account, you need to make a minimum deposit of $500.

B1 [ C ] an amount of money that you pay as the first part of the total payment for something:

The shop assistant says if I leave £10 as a deposit, they'll keep the dress for me.
We paid/put a deposit of £5,000 on the house, and paid the balance four weeks later.
They asked us to put down a deposit.

C1 [ C ] an amount of money that you pay when you rent something, and is returned to you when you return the thing you have rented:

It costs $2,000 a week to rent the yacht, with a $200 refundable/returnable deposit.
You pay a 10p deposit/deposit of 10p on the bottle, which you get back when you return the empty bottle.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

on deposit

(Definition of “deposit” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"deposit" in American English

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depositnoun [ C ]

us ​ /dɪˈpɑz·ɪt/

deposit noun [ C ] (MONEY)

› an amount of money paid into an account:

She made a large deposit last Thursday.

› A deposit is also a sum of money that is given in advance as part of a total payment for something:

Will you get your deposit back if you cancel the trip?

› A deposit is also an additional sum of money that you pay when you rent something to make sure you return the item or to pay for repairs:

The apartment rents for $1200 a month, and we want one month’s rent for a deposit.

› A deposit is also an amount paid in addition to the cost of something to make sure you bring its container back when you have used it:

a bottle deposit

deposit noun [ C ] (LAYER)

› a layer of a substance:

The flood left a thick deposit of mud on the floor.
The region has lots of gas and coal deposits.

depositverb

us ​ /dɪˈpɑz·ət/

deposit verb (MONEY)

› [ T ] to put money in a bank:

I deposited $500 in my savings account last week.

deposit verb (LEAVE)

› [ T always + adv/prep ] to leave something somewhere:

The cat deposited a dead mouse at my door.

(Definition of “deposit” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

"deposit" in Business English

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depositnoun

uk ​ /dɪˈpɒzɪt/ us ​

› [ C ] BANKING an amount of money that someone pays into a bank account:

Using the cash machine I can make a deposit at any time of the day.
have/keep/hold money on deposit Rather than hold money on deposit, you should pay off your debts.
Compare
withdrawal

› [ C ] COMMERCE, PROPERTY a part of the cost of something such as a product or property that a buyer pays to a seller so that it will not be sold to anyone else:

make/pay/put down a deposit (on sth) Many families put down a deposit for their summer holidays as early as January.
a €50/$100, etc. deposit
ask for/request a deposit Normally someone selling a house would ask for a deposit of at least 5%.
non-refundable deposit
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down payment
deposits

› [ plural ] BANKING, ECONOMICS the total amount of money that has been paid into a particular bank, or into the banks in a particular place:

The bank now has more than 1m account holders and deposits of around £1.7bn.
The government closed banks for a week, trying to prevent a run on deposits.

› [ C ] PROPERTY an amount of money that someone renting a property pays to the owner of the property, which they get back when they leave only if they have not caused any damage:

ask for/require a deposit Landlords will usually require a deposit.
lose a deposit I once lost a deposit on a flat when I knocked something over and stained the carpet.

See also

bank deposit
cash ratio deposits
certificate of deposit
core deposits
demand deposit
direct deposit
fixed deposit
money market deposits
public deposits
retail deposits
sight deposit
term deposit
time deposit

depositverb [ T ]

uk ​ /dɪˈpɒzɪt/ us ​

› BANKING to put money into a bank account, especially one that pays interest:

deposit money/a cheque/funds
deposit sth in/into sth You can choose to have your salary deposited directly into your bank account.
Compare
withdraw

› to leave money or something that is valuable in a safe place:

deposit sth with sb The documents have been deposited with the solicitor for safe-keeping.

(Definition of “deposit” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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