ENGLISH
REFERENCE

deserve

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //dɪˈzɝv// UK //dɪzˈɜːv// de·serve Archaic General-service

v. to have earned something because of your actions or qualities. You use this when you think someone should get a reward or a punishment based on what they did.

v. to be worthy of or have a right to something, whether good or bad, based on previous actions or inherent qualities. Transitive — requires a direct object or an infinitive phrase.


SIMPLE

You worked hard all week and deserve a rest.

CONTEXTUAL

After years of dedicated service to the local community, the retiring doctor certainly deserves this recognition.

COMPLEX

Whether a convicted criminal deserves a second chance is a question that sits at the heart of most modern debates regarding restorative justice and prison reform.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English deserven, from Old French deservir, from Latin dēserviō, from dē- + serviō.

Usage

The verb is transitive and can take a noun phrase or a 'to-infinitive' as its object. It is rarely used in the continuous (progressive) form.

Pitfall

He is deserving a promotion.He deserves a promotion.Deserve is a stative verb and is generally not used in the continuous '-ing' form.

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