From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdenyde‧ny /dɪˈnaɪ/ ●●● S3 W2 AWL verb (denied, denying, denies) [transitive] 1 say something is not trueSAY/STATE to say that something is not true, or that you do not believe something → denialdeny (that) I’ve never denied that there is a housing problem. I can’t deny her remarks hurt me.deny doing something Two men have denied murdering a woman at a remote picnic spot.strongly/vehemently/strenuously etc deny something Jackson vehemently denied the allegations. The government denied the existence of poverty among 16- and 17-year-olds.deny a charge/allegation/claim The men have denied charges of theft.GrammarYou deny doing something: She denied taking the money. ✗Don’t say: She denied to take the money. 2 not allowREFUSE to refuse to allow someone to have or do something Some landowners deny access to the countryside.deny somebody something She could deny her son nothing.deny something to somebody This is the only country in Europe to deny cancer screening to its citizens.► see thesaurus at refuse3 → there’s no denying (that/something)4 feelingsADMIT to refuse to admit that you are feeling something Emotions can become destructive if they are suppressed and denied.5 → deny yourself (something)COLLOCATIONSdeny + NOUNdeny a charge/allegationOfficials denied allegations that torture was widespread.deny any involvement in somethingThe chairman denied any involvement in the affair.deny all knowledge of somethingCIA officers denied all knowledge of the operation.deny a factYou can’t deny the fact that we made a mistake.deny a rumourTheir chief executive denied rumours of the company’s decline.deny a claimClaims that money had been wasted were denied by the chairman of the committee.deny the existence of somethingThe government has denied the existence of any political prisoners in the country.deny any wrongdoing formal (=illegal or immoral behaviour)The White House denied any wrongdoing.adverbsstrongly/firmly deny somethingReports of government corruption have been strongly denied.vehemently/vigorously/strenuously deny something (=very strongly)He vehemently denied that he had ever been to her house.flatly/categorically deny something (=very definitely and directly)In the interview, he flatly denied that charge.hotly deny something (=in an angry or excited way)She hotly denied ever having taken drugs.repeatedly deny somethingKing has repeatedly denied being a gang member. → See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
deny• Parry's appeal to the courts was denied.• I realized I'd been denying a lot of angry feelings toward my mother.• Bowlam denied all charges of selling drugs to children.• The hummocks denied any sure footing.• Up to 450 disaster victims were denied compensation by their insurers.• The defendants deny conspiracy to defraud.• The act of stealing denied everything she had been taught.• His parents denied him the opportunity to go to university.• I saw you do it, so don't try to deny it!• Did he actually deny meeting Jenny that night?• To deny older women access to routine screening is both contra-indicated and explicitly discriminatory.• The singer denies that he copied the tune from an old Beatles song.• The network has denied the charges.• The scientists have been denied the necessary funds for their research program.• Children may be denied the possibility of such abuse being detected.• She has been denied the right to appeal to the Supreme Court.• The foreman had not informed us that the paraffin might explode. In fact he had categorically denied there was any danger.• Yet we systematically deny these individuals the opportunity to engage in meaningful ways with the adult world.deny (that)• She also denies 11 alternative charges of causing grievous bodily harm.• Women continue to be denied fringe benefits and wages equivalent to those received by men.• The man's friend denies helping him destroy evidence.• Earlier another Bond director Mr Tony Oates said the corporation vigorously denied it had any knowledge of the alleged phone-bugging operation.• Some groups deny that the Holocaust ever happened.• They deny the possibility of a death wish lurking amidst the gardens of lust.• He did not deny the value of what she said or the power of the images she carried with her.• For her, the acceptable role for women has yet to be defined, and such a definition denies women's complexity.• Both have denied wrongdoing, are fighting the administrative charges and are still working on non-Foxglove investigations.deny somebody something• Seven of the actors were denied visas.Origin deny (1200-1300) Old French denier, from Latin negare “to deny” 