deliver

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English deliveren, from Anglo-Norman and Old French delivrer, from Latin de + līberō (“to set free”).

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /dɪˈlɪvə(ɹ)/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /dɪˈlɪvɚ/
  • Rhymes: -ɪvə(ɹ)
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Hyphenation: de‧liv‧er

Verb

deliver (third-person singular simple present delivers, present participle delivering, simple past and past participle delivered)

  1. To set free from restraint or danger.
    deliver a captive from the prison
    Synonyms: free, liberate, release
  2. (process) To do with birth.
    1. To assist in the birth of.
      the doctor delivered the baby
    2. (formal, with "of") To assist (a female) in bearing, that is, in bringing forth (a child).
      the duchess was delivered of a son
      the doctor is expected to deliver her of a daughter tomorrow
      • (Can we date this quote?) Gower
        She was delivered safe and soon.
    3. To give birth to.
      she delivered a baby boy yesterday
  3. To free from or disburden of anything.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Henry Peacham
      Tully was long ere he could be delivered of a few verses, and those poor ones.
  4. To bring or transport something to its destination.
    deliver a package;  deliver the mail
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 10, in The Celebrity:
      Mr. Cooke had had a sloop yacht built at Far Harbor, the completion of which had been delayed, and which was but just delivered.
  5. To hand over or surrender (someone or something) to another.
    deliver the thief to the police
    • Bible, Genesis xl. 13
      Thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand.
    • (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare
      The constables have delivered her over.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Alexander Pope
      The exalted mind / All sense of woe delivers to the wind.
  6. (intransitive, informal) To produce what was expected or required.
    • 2004, Detroit News, Detroit Pistons: Champions at Work (page 86)
      "You know, he plays great sometimes when he doesn't score," Brown said. "Tonight, with Rip (Richard Hamilton) struggling, we needed somebody to step up, and he really did. He really delivered."
  7. To express in words or vocalizations, declare, utter, or vocalize.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 1, in The Celebrity:
      The stories did not seem to me to touch life. […] They left me with the impression of a well-delivered stereopticon lecture, with characters about as life-like as the shadows on the screen, and whisking on and off, at the mercy of the operator.
    • 2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club:
      It’s a lovely sequence cut too short because the show seems afraid to give itself over to romance and whimsy and wistfulness when it has wedgie jokes to deliver.
    • 2018 February 24, Paul Rees, “Finn Russell masterminds historic Scotland victory over England”, in The Guardian‎, London, archived from the original on 22 April 2018:
      England went into the interval 22-6 down, a second [Owen] Farrell penalty their only response to Scotland’s burst of tries. They had not conceded more points in a Six Nations match in the Eddie Jones era and when the whistle blew for the interval, Dylan Hartley formed his players into a circle to deliver a rallying cry.
    deliver a speech
  8. To give forth in action or exercise; to discharge.
    to deliver a blow
    • (Can we date this quote?) Sir Philip Sidney
      shaking his head and delivering some show of tears
    • (Can we date this quote?) Sir Walter Scott
      An uninstructed bowler […] thinks to attain the jack by delivering his bowl straight forward.
  9. To discover; to show.
  10. (obsolete) To admit; to allow to pass.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)
  11. (medicine) To administer a drug.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations
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Anagrams
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