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deposit

/dɪˈpɑːzɪt//dɪˈpɒzɪt/·verb
to put money into an account; to set or lay something down
Fig. 1 — A hand feeds a thick block of notes into the tray of a cash machine; the machine draws it in and the balance on the screen clicks up a step, the glow warming.
01Definition

To deposit is to put money into an account or machine, raising the balance — and, more broadly, to set or lay something down, the way a river deposits silt. It comes from the Latin deponere, 'to put down'. In finance it is the everyday opposite of withdraw: value moves in rather than out, and savings accumulate. As a noun a deposit is the sum paid in, or the part-payment that secures a purchase before the rest is due.

02In use
  • iShe deposits part of every paycheck into a savings account.
  • iiThe shop deposits its daily revenue at the bank each evening.
  • iiiOver centuries the river deposited thick layers of silt across the plain.
03Collocations
  • deposit money
  • deposit a cheque
  • make a deposit
  • deposit into an account
  • a security deposit

Family deposit (noun) · depositor (noun) · deposition (noun)

04Relations

=pay in, bank, lodge, save, place

≠withdraw, spend

05Compared
PairThe difference
deposit vs withdrawvalue goes in and the balance rises → deposit; value comes out and it falls → withdraw.
06TOEFL & IELTS

Two senses are tested: the financial 'deposit money into an account' and the physical 'sediment is deposited' in TOEFL geology lectures. The noun is just as common — 'a deposit' can be money paid in or a down payment ('a 10% deposit'). Preposition: deposit money INTO/in an account. Pair it with its opposite, withdraw, when describing accounts.

07Asked
What is the difference between a deposit and a down payment?
A down payment is a first slice of the purchase price, paid toward what you will own and not returned. A deposit is money held to secure something, and it is often refundable — a rental deposit comes back if nothing is damaged. Overlap exists (a house 'deposit' is really a down payment), but the test is: does it buy, or does it merely hold?
What is the difference between a security deposit and a bank deposit?
A bank deposit is money you put into your own account, still yours, earning interest. A security deposit is money you hand to someone else — a landlord, a utility — as a guarantee against loss or damage, returned when the obligation ends cleanly. One grows your balance; the other sits in someone else's hands as insurance.
What is a deposit in geology?
Material laid down by a natural process and left in place: a river deposits silt on its bed, wind deposits sand, and valuable ore deposits are minerals concentrated by ancient geology. The verb's core survives intact — from Latin deponere, 'to put down' — whether what is set down is money in a tray or sediment on a riverbed.
What does 'deposition' mean?
Three different things share the noun. In geology it is the laying-down of sediment; in physics it is a gas turning straight to solid without a liquid stage (frost forming on glass); in law it is sworn out-of-court testimony. All three keep the 'putting down' root — of matter, or of a witness's words on the record.
Is it 'deposit into' or 'deposit in' an account?
Both are accepted; into is slightly more common and stresses the movement of money inward, while in states where it ends up. 'Deposit money into your account' and 'deposit the cheque in the bank' are equally correct. The scene above is the preposition made visible — blocks of notes fed in, the balance clicking up.
What is the difference between deposit and withdraw?
Opposite directions of value: deposit moves money into an account and lifts the balance, withdraw takes it out and lowers it. The scene above is the deposit half — the counter only climbing. The full contrast, with both animated scenes, is on the deposit vs withdraw page in the 'Compared' list above.