Words / B2

DEP-yoot-ee/ˈdepjuti/

A deputy is second in rank and acts when the leader is away: a deputy head, deputy mayor. Assistant is everyday and can be lower; vice- is a title cousin (vice-chair). In speech, second-in-command is enough. The word is work and official English. Do not call every helper a deputy — a deputy has standing to act in the boss’s place — and do not confuse it with deputy as a US elected official (a different system).

Meaning

A person who is second in rank and acts when the leader is away.

Examples

• “The deputy head ran the meeting.”
• “The deputy signed the letters while the head was on a course.”
• “A deputy chair can run the meeting; a minute-taker cannot.”

Good to know

Second-in-command; acts in the leader’s place. Everyday: second-in-command. Contrast: assistant (often lower). Not every helper.

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