What does "deliver" mean?
To set free from restraint or danger.
Deliver
/dɪˈlɪvə(ɹ)/ adj, verb, slang
adj, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To set free from restraint or danger.
- Grammar: deliver is listed as adj, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bear, birth, abalienate, achieve.
- Useful contrasts: notworks, bouncing, fluffing.
- Usage evidence: I am counting on you to deliver the opening address.
How to use "deliver"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "deliver" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "deliver" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "deliver" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "deliver" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "deliver" is acting as adj, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bear" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "deliver", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To set free from restraint or danger.
"The hostage was delivered from her captors and thus preserved from any danger."
- 2 cause to be born wordnet
- 3 Senses having to do with birth.; To assist in the birth of.
"the doctor delivered the baby"
- 4 deliver (a speech, oration, or idea) wordnet
- 5 Senses having to do with birth.; To assist (a female) in bearing, that is, in bringing forth (a child). formal
"the duchess was delivered of a son"
Show 19 more definitions
- 6 utter (an exclamation, noise, etc.) wordnet
- 7 Senses having to do with birth.; To give birth to.
"she delivered a baby boy yesterday"
- 8 pass down wordnet
- 9 To free from or disburden of anything.
"Tully was long ere he could be delivered of a few verses, and those poor ones."
- 10 bring to a destination, make a delivery wordnet
- 11 To bring or transport something to its destination.
"deliver a package"
- 12 throw or hurl from the mound to the batter, as in baseball wordnet
- 13 To hand over or surrender (someone or something) to another.
"deliver the thief to the police"
- 14 relinquish possession or control over wordnet
- 15 To produce what is expected or required. informal, intransitive, transitive
"deliver on a promise"
- 16 to surrender someone or something to another wordnet
- 17 To express in words or vocalizations, declare, utter, or vocalize.
"deliver a speech"
- 18 carry out or perform wordnet
- 19 To give forth in action or exercise; to discharge.
"to deliver a blow"
- 20 hand over to the authorities of another country wordnet
- 21 To discover; to show.
"I'll deliver myself your loyal servant."
- 22 free from harm or evil wordnet
- 23 To administer a drug.
- 24 save from sins wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Capable, agile, or active. rare
"Therefore my policy and advice shall be this: That about the dead time of the night, when our enemies be most quiet at rest, there shall issue from us a number of the most deliverest soldiers to assault their camp; who shall give the assault right secretly, even directly against the entry of the camp, which is almost invincible."
Example
"I am counting on you to deliver the opening address."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "deliver"?
Common synonyms include: bear, birth, abalienate, achieve, administer, affranchise.
How do you use "deliver" in a sentence?
I am counting on you to deliver the opening address.
How do you pronounce "deliver"?
Pronounced /dɪˈlɪvə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
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).