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de·liv·er (dĭ-lĭvər)
Share:
v. de·liv·ered, de·liv·er·ing, de·liv·ers
v. tr.
1. To bring or transport to the proper place or recipient; distribute: deliver groceries; deliver the mail.
2. To surrender (someone or something) to another; hand over: delivered the criminal to the police.
3. To secure (something promised or desired), as for a candidate or political party: campaign workers who delivered the ward for the mayor.
4. To throw or hurl: The pitcher delivered the ball.
5. To strike (a blow).
6. To express in words; declare or utter: deliver a lecture.
7.
a. To give birth to: She delivered a baby boy this morning.
b. To assist or aid in the birth of: The midwife delivered the baby.
c. To assist (a woman) in giving birth: The doctor delivered her of twins.
8. To give forth or produce: an oil well that delivered thousands of barrels a day.
9. To set free, as from captivity, peril, or evil: deliver a captive from slavery. See Synonyms at save1.
v. intr.
1. To produce or achieve what is desired or expected; make good: The senator delivered on her pledge. He is a manager who just can't seem to deliver.
2. To give birth: She expects to deliver in late August.
Idiom:
deliver (oneself) of
To pronounce; utter: Before leaving I delivered myself of a few choice comments.
[Middle English deliveren, from Old French delivrer, from Late Latin dēlīberāre : Latin dē-, de- + līberāre, to free (from līber, free; see leudh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).]
de·liv′er·a·bili·ty n.
de·liver·a·ble adj.
de·liver·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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