ENGLISH
REFERENCE

deliver

v.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //dɪˈɫɪvɝ// UK //dɪlˈɪvɐ// de·liv·er Archaic Formal General-service Informal

v. to take something like a package, letter, or message to a person or place. It can also mean to give a speech or to help a baby be born.

v. to bring and hand over a letter, parcel, or goods to the proper recipient. In a medical context, it refers to the act of assisting in the birth of offspring.


SIMPLE

The courier will deliver the package tomorrow morning.

CONTEXTUAL

The local pharmacy offers a service to deliver prescriptions directly to the homes of elderly patients who cannot travel.

COMPLEX

While the logistics team worked to deliver the supplies on schedule, the CEO prepared to deliver a speech that would address the company's recent challenges.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English deliveren, from Anglo-Norman and Old French delivrer, from Latin dē + līberō (“to set free”). Compare typologically dispatch, analyzable as dis- + impeach, from Latin impedicō (also akin to impede).

Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. In the medical sense, the doctor or midwife delivers the baby, or the mother is delivered of the baby.

Pitfall

The mailman delivered to me a letter.The mailman delivered a letter to me.Deliver is a transitive verb; the direct object should typically follow the verb immediately before the prepositional phrase.

Idioms3 entries

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