Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
deserve
de-serve′
(dē̍-zẽrv′)
, Verb.
I.
To be worthy of recompense; – usually with ill or with well.
One man may merit or
deserve
of another. South.
Webster 1828 Edition
Deserve
DESERVE
,Verb.
T.
1.
To merit; to be worthy of; applied to good or evil.2.
To merit by labor or services; to have a just claim to an equivalent for good conferred. The laborer deserves his wages; he deserves the value of his services.3.
To merit by good actions or qualities in general; to be worthy of, on account of excellence. The virtuous man deserves esteem and commendation. A work of value deserves praise.4.
To be worthy of, in a bad sense; to merit by an evil act; as, to deserve blame or punishment.God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth. Job 11.
DESERVE
,Verb.
I.
Definition 2024
deserve
deserve
English
Verb
deserve (third-person singular simple present deserves, present participle deserving, simple past and past participle deserved)
- To be entitled to, as a result of past actions; to be worthy to have.
- After playing so well, the team really deserved their win.
- After what he did, he deserved to go to prison.
- This argument deserves a closer examination.
- Bible, Job xi. 6
- God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.
- Thackeray
- John Gay deserved to be a favourite.
- (obsolete) To earn, win.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.vii:
- That gentle Lady, whom I loue and serue, / After long suit and weary seruicis, / Did aske me, how I could her loue deserue, / And how she might be sure, that I would neuer swerue.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.vii:
- (obsolete) To reward, to give in return for service.
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter xxx, in Le Morte Darthur, book VIII:
- Gramercy saide the kynge / & I lyue sir Lambegus I shal deserue hit / And thenne sir Lambegus armed hym / and rode after as fast as he myghte
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter xxx, in Le Morte Darthur, book VIII:
- (obsolete) To serve; to treat; to benefit.
- Massinger
- A man that hath / So well deserved me.
- Massinger
Synonyms
- merit
- See also Wikisaurus:deserve
Usage notes
- This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs
Related terms
Derived terms
Translations
to merit
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External links
- deserve in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- deserve in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911