deputy

deputy — noun

1. a person who has the authority to carry out the duties of someone in a higher po

1.nounB2
Definition

a person who has the authority to carry out the duties of someone in a higher position when that person is away, or who holds the rank immediately below the head of an organization

Example

Sirin will act as deputy manager while her boss recovers from surgery.

When the chief executive retired, her deputy took over the day-to-day running of the company.

possessive pattern: 'her/his deputy' showing ownership of the role

Common collocations
  • deputy director
  • deputy manager
  • deputy head
  • deputy chair
  • act as deputy
  • serve as deputy
  • appoint a deputy
Synonyms
  • assistant

    a helper who supports a senior person but may not have the authority to replace them fully

  • second-in-command

    emphasises rank in a hierarchy, common in military and emergency services

  • substitute

    focuses on temporary replacement rather than an ongoing rank

  • vice-

    a prefix used in corporate titles (vice-president); equivalent to deputy in many contexts

Antonyms
  • chief

    the person who holds the top position that a deputy fills in for

  • superior

    the higher-ranking person whose authority the deputy exercises when needed

Usage Note

Frequently followed by the name of the senior role (deputy manager, deputy director, deputy head). In law enforcement, deputy alone (without a role name) can refer to a deputy sheriff. The superior is typically mentioned with a possessive: the president's deputy.

Common Mistakes

She is the deputy of the company.
She is the deputy director of the company.
deputy is usually followed by the senior role title, not used alone with 'of'.
He is a deputy for his boss.
He acts as deputy for his boss.
use 'act as deputy' or 'serve as deputy' for temporary substitution.

2. in some countries, an elected person who serves in the lower of the two chambers

2.nounC1
Definition

in some countries, an elected person who serves in the lower of the two chambers of the national parliament

Example

Lan was elected as a deputy in the French National Assembly last year.

elected as a deputy — common electoral context

Each deputy elected to the Spanish Congress serves a four-year term.

Common collocations
  • elected deputy
  • local deputy
  • serve as a deputy
  • deputy from [region]
Synonyms
  • representative

    a broader term for any elected legislator, used in many English-speaking countries

  • member of parliament

    the standard term in the UK and Commonwealth countries

  • legislator

    formal term for any law-making official, not specific to lower houses

Usage Note

Specific to countries that use deputy as the official title for members of their lower legislative house — notably France (député), Spain (diputado), Italy (deputato), and Germany (Abgeordneter). Do not use this sense for the UK House of Commons (MP) or the US House of Representatives (Representative or Congressman).

Common Mistakes

She was elected as a deputy in the UK Parliament.
She was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the UK.
the UK uses 'MP', not 'deputy', for ordinary members.
He is a deputy in the US Congress.
He is a Representative in the US Congress.
the US uses 'Representative' or 'Congressman', not 'deputy'.

Word family

  • deputize
    verbC1
  • deputation
    nounC1
  • depute
    verbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Assistant is a general term for anyone who helps a senior person, but assistants rarely have the authority to fully replace their boss — a deputy does. Second-in-command is the clearest synonym in military or emergency-service contexts, highlighting rank order rather than the power to substitute. Substitute focuses on temporary replacement: a substitute teacher fills in for one class, while a deputy head teacher has an ongoing leadership role. Vice- (as in vice-president, vice-chair) functions identically to deputy in many organizations, though vice- is more common in corporate titles and deputy in public-sector or law-enforcement roles. For example, a vice-president of sales can sign contracts when the president is away, much as a deputy sheriff can enforce the law when the sheriff is off duty.

assistant ↗second-in-commandsubstitutevice-

Common collocations

Prepositions

  • deputy for
  • deputy to

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Deputy comes from Latin deputare, meaning 'to cut off, assign, or allot' — from de- ('away') and putare ('to prune, reckon'). The word passed through Old French deputer into Middle English as deputen, originally meaning 'to appoint or assign'. By the 1500s it had developed the sense of a person appointed to act on another's behalf, and the specific legislative meaning arose in the 1700s as parliamentary systems spread across Europe.