deliver
deliver — verb
1. to bring items such as packages, letters, or food to a person or place that expe
to bring items such as packages, letters, or food to a person or place that expects or has ordered them.
The courier delivered the package to our office just before lunch.
deliver + noun + to + noun
Our mail is delivered by Kevin, our regular carrier, around eleven each weekday morning.
passive: be delivered + by agent
"Does this restaurant deliver to the university campus?" asked Ishaan.
intransitive: deliver to [place]
Aoi ordered takeaway noodles, and the restaurant delivered them to her door within twenty minutes.
deliver takeaway / food to door
We had the groceries delivered directly to our front door.
causative: have + noun + delivered
- deliver a package
- deliver mail
- deliver food
- deliver flowers
- deliver to your door
- deliver on time
- deliver by hand
Grammar Patterns
deliver + noun + to + noun/pronoun
deliver to + noun (intransitive)
Usage Note
Frequently used in the passive ('the parcel was delivered'). The recipient requires the preposition 'to' — 'deliver something to someone,' never 'deliver someone something.'
Common Mistakes
2. to present spoken words to an audience, issue a formal judgment, or send somethi
to present spoken words to an audience, issue a formal judgment, or send something such as a ball toward an intended target.
The mayor delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the new library.
deliver + speech
The pitcher wound up and delivered a fastball straight over the plate.
deliver + ball (sports)
After a long trial, the jury delivered its verdict of not guilty.
Professor Hyun delivered a lecture on renewable energy that inspired many students.
Beatrix delivered the bad news as gently as she could.
deliver + news / message
- deliver a speech
- deliver a verdict
- deliver a lecture
- deliver a sermon
- deliver an ultimatum
- deliver a pitch
- withhold
to deliberately not give information or a statement
Grammar Patterns
deliver + noun (speech / verdict / throw)
Usage Note
The object is typically a planned or formal utterance (speech, lecture, verdict, sermon) or a thrown object in sports (ball, pitch). For informal conversation, 'give' is more natural than 'deliver.'
Common Mistakes
3. to carry out a previous commitment or pledge that you made, particularly when ot
to carry out a previous commitment or pledge that you made, particularly when other people are relying on you to follow through.
The company promised to cut emissions and has now delivered on that pledge.
deliver on + promise/pledge
The new government failed to deliver the tax cuts it had promised during the election campaign.
Obi assured his clients he would deliver the project by Friday, and he kept his word.
deliver + project / result (business)
The charity had pledged meals each week and delivered on that promise all winter.
deliver on + promise / pledge
"If you cannot deliver the monthly inventory report you agreed to compile, tell us now," the manager told Hugo.
intransitive: deliver (fulfill commitment) + specific deliverable
- deliver on a promise
- deliver on a commitment
- deliver results
- deliver on a pledge
- deliver what was agreed
- deliver on time
- fulfill
more formal; focuses on meeting an obligation
- keep
used in 'keep a promise'; more informal than 'deliver on'
- come through
informal phrasal verb; 'come through for someone'
Grammar Patterns
deliver + noun (results / promise)
deliver on + noun (promise / commitment)
Usage Note
Often used without an object when the commitment is clear from context ('we promised results, and we delivered'). The preposition 'on' introduces the specific promise or commitment.
Common Mistakes
4. to produce a level of quality, value, or performance that meets what people gene
to produce a level of quality, value, or performance that meets what people generally want or expect, without referring to a specific prior promise.
The new smartphone delivers excellent battery life and a sharp display.
deliver + noun (product feature)
This training course delivers practical skills that students can use straight away.
The hotel delivers a high standard of service at a very reasonable price.
deliver + standard / quality
The sequel delivered exactly the thrills that fans of the original were hoping for.
The heating system delivers warm air evenly to every room in the building.
deliver + noun (function)
- deliver results
- deliver quality
- deliver value
- deliver performance
- deliver benefits
- deliver on its promise (general sense)
- disappoint
to fail to meet expectations
- underperform
to produce results below the expected level
Grammar Patterns
deliver + noun (quality / value / results)
deliver (intransitive — produce what is expected)
Usage Note
The subject is usually a product, service, system, or experience. Unlike sense 3, no specific promise was made beforehand — the focus is on general quality or performance that satisfies users.
Common Mistakes
5. to be the mother of a newborn child through labour; or, as a doctor or midwife,
to be the mother of a newborn child through labour; or, as a doctor or midwife, to assist a woman in labour as her child is born.
Lucía delivered a healthy baby boy at the local hospital on Tuesday morning.
mother delivers baby (give birth)
Dr. Patel has delivered more than a thousand babies over her twenty-year career.
medical professional delivers baby (assist birth)
The midwife delivered the baby safely in the family's home, without any complications.
After twelve hours of labour, Mizuki delivered twins, a girl and a boy.
Their first child was delivered by a team of experienced doctors at the city hospital.
passive: baby was delivered
- deliver a baby
- deliver twins
- deliver a child
- delivered by a doctor
- delivered in hospital
- delivered at home
- give birth to
used only for the mother; requires 'to' ('gave birth to a son')
- have
informal ('she had a baby'); does not specify the act of labour
Grammar Patterns
deliver + noun (baby)
deliver (a mother delivers her baby / a doctor delivers a baby)
Usage Note
The same verb is used whether the mother is the subject ('she delivered a baby') or the medical professional is the subject ('the doctor delivered the baby'). Context tells you who gave birth and who assisted.
Common Mistakes
6. to free someone from a harmful, difficult, or threatening situation, often in a
to free someone from a harmful, difficult, or threatening situation, often in a formal or solemn context.
The soldiers delivered the hostages from the building where they were being held.
deliver + someone + from + place
A local nonprofit delivered the children from poverty by providing education and meals.
The firefighters delivered the family from the burning apartment building.
The Supreme Court's ruling delivered the coastal fishing villages from a decade of legal uncertainty over water rights.
deliver + from + abstract threat (formal)
The 1998 Good Friday Agreement delivered many Northern Irish communities from decades of sectarian violence.
- deliver from danger
- deliver from evil
- deliver from suffering
- deliver from poverty
- deliver from oppression
Grammar Patterns
deliver + noun + from + noun
Usage Note
Common in religious and literary contexts ('deliver us from evil'). For everyday rescue scenarios, 'save' or 'rescue' is more natural than 'deliver.'
Common Mistakes
To successfully do what you promised or what others expect you to do.
Maya promised to finish the project on time, and she delivered the goods.
Did the new employee deliver the goods in his first month?
Completely finished and made official, especially after signing documents.
The contract is signed and sealed, so we can start work next week.
Once the deal is signed and sealed, we will celebrate.
Word family
- deliverynounB1
- deliverernounC1
- deliverableadjectiveC1
- deliverablenounC1
- deliverancenounC1
- redeliververbC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
"Deliver" means to bring something directly to a specific person or place, emphasising the arrival at the final destination. "Send" is broader — it covers the act of causing something to go somewhere without guaranteeing its arrival (you send a letter, but it may get lost). "Ship" implies transport by carrier over distance, often by road, rail, or sea; it focuses on the journey rather than the handover. "Dispatch" is more formal and suggests urgency or efficiency: dispatchers send out ambulances or emergency supplies with speed. "Forward" describes redirecting something that has already been sent to an intermediate address on to its final recipient. In everyday use, a courier delivers a package to your door, a company ships goods to a warehouse, and an office forwards your mail when you move.
Common collocations
Etymology
"Deliver" entered Middle English from Old French 'delivrer', meaning to set free or hand over. The French word combined the Latin prefix 'de-' (away, from) with 'liberare' (to free, set free, release — from 'liber', free). The original sense of 'setting free' survives in the modern religious/formal sense of rescuing (sense 6), while the more common meaning of 'handing over goods' (sense 1) developed in the 1300s as a practical extension of 'handing over' anything.