Words / B2

di-PRYV/dɪˈpraɪv/

To deprive is to take something necessary away: deprive someone of sleep, deprived of electricity. Take away is everyday; denial of is more legal. Deprivation is the noun. The pattern is deprive + person + of + thing, never deprive from. In speech, take away is enough. Do not use deprive for hiding a biscuit once — the loss should matter — and do not confuse it with derive (come from).

Meaning

To take something necessary away from someone (deprive of).

Examples

• “The outage deprived the village of electricity.”
• “The outage deprived the village of heating as well as light.”
• “Cutting the last bus deprived night-shift staff of a safe way home.”

Good to know

deprive someone of + thing (not “from”). Everyday: take away. Noun: deprivation. Mix-up: derive (come from). The loss should matter.

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