deserve
- 01 B1 Intermediate
to be worthy of something because of how you have behaved or what you have done.
to merit or be entitled to something as a result of past actions, character, or effort.
Simple“After working so hard all year, you really deserve a long holiday.”
In context“The legal team argued that their client did not deserve such a harsh sentence given the mitigating circumstances presented during the trial.”
UsageCommonly followed by a noun phrase or a 'to' infinitive.
Teacher's tipRemind students that this word is neutral; you can deserve a 'promotion' (positive) or a 'punishment' (negative).
PitfallShe deserves winning the prize. She deserves to win the prize.When followed by another verb, use the 'to' infinitive, not the '-ing' form.
Usage deserves greater · deserve consideration
“Barnard also wants to support young talented drivers who he feels are being left behind - as he feels not everybody that's made it into top-flight sports "deserves to be there".”
“I want to be able to give him all the love he deserves,” read an entry from Clancy’s notes app on 25 October 2022.”
From Middle English deserven, from Old French deservir, from Latin dēserviō, from dē- + serviō.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.