What does "desk" mean?
A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a drawer or repository underneath.
Desk
/dɛsk/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a drawer or repository underneath.
- Grammar: desk is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: agency, ambo, assignment, atelier.
- Useful contrasts: bench, filing cabinet, workbench.
- Usage evidence: The vase on my desk overturned when I jumped up in surprise.
How to use "desk"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "desk" 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 "desk" 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 "desk" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "desk" 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 "desk" is acting as noun, verb 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 "agency" 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 "desk", 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
Noun
- 1 A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a drawer or repository underneath.
"She organized her notes neatly on her desk before starting the project."
- 2 a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments wordnet
- 3 A reading table or lectern to support the book from which the liturgical service is read, differing from the pulpit from which the sermon is preached; also (especially in the United States), a pulpit. Hence, used symbolically for the clerical profession.
- 4 A department tasked with a particular topic or focus in certain types of businesses, such as newspapers and financial trading firms.
"the city desk, the sports desk"
- 5 Ellipsis of mixing desk. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"Each aux out is connected to an effects unit and the signal is then returned into the desk."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A station for a string player in an orchestra, consisting of a chair and a music stand, or a row of such stations.
"The first four desks of cellos play separate parts, making a lush, Impressionist harmony."
Verb
- 1 To shut up, as in a desk; to treasure. transitive
- 2 To equip with a desk or desks. transitive
"But also that the said Chapell be desked, and the windowes of our said Chapell be glased, with Stores, Ymagies, Armes, Bagies ami Cognossaunts, as is by us redily divised, and in picture delivered to the Priour of Saunt Bartilmews besid Smythfel, maistre of the works of our said Chapell;"
- 3 To reject (an article submitted to a newspaper or academic journal etc.) on initial receipt, without reviewing it further. transitive
Example
"The vase on my desk overturned when I jumped up in surprise."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "desk"?
Common synonyms include: agency, ambo, assignment, atelier, bar, barbershop.
How do you use "desk" in a sentence?
The vase on my desk overturned when I jumped up in surprise.
How do you pronounce "desk"?
Pronounced /dɛsk/.
Etymology
From Middle English deske, desque, from Medieval Latin desca, modified from Old Italian desco, from Latin discus. Doublet of dais, disc, discus, dish, disk, and diskos. See also German Tisch, "table".