to have earned or to be given something because of the way you have behaved or the qualities you have
After all that hard work, you deserve a holiday.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
deserve
verb (deserves, deserving, deserved )
to be good or bad enough to have something:
You have worked very hard and you deserve a rest.
They stole money from old people, so they deserve to go to prison.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
deserve
de‧serve S3 W3 /dɪˈzɜːv $ -ɜːrv/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin deservire 'to serve very keenly', from servire 'to serve']
1. to have earned something by good or bad actions or behaviour:
What have I done to deserve this?
deserve to do something
We didn’t deserve to win.
richly/fully/thoroughly etc deserve something
the success he so richly deserves
I’m sorry for the kids. They deserve better (=deserve to be treated in a better way).
deserve a rest/break/holiday etc
I think we deserve a rest after all that hard work.
Ledley deserves a place in the team.
Paula deserves a special mention for all the help she has given us.
I would never hit anyone, even if they deserved it.
What has he done to deserve this punishment?
deserve all/everything you get (=deserve any bad things that happen to you)
He deserves all he gets for being so dishonest.
People who are sent to prison for drunk-driving get what they deserve.
2. deserve consideration/attention etc if a suggestion, idea, or plan deserves consideration, attention etc, it is good enough to be considered, paid attention to etc SYN merit:
This proposal deserves serious consideration.
3. somebody deserves a medal spoken used to say that you admire the way someone dealt with a situation or problem
somebody deserves a medal for
You deserve a medal for putting up with Ian’s constant demands.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ deserve a rest/break/holiday etc Once the students have done their exams they deserve a break.
▪ deserve a chance Everybody deserves a second chance.
▪ deserve respect Our police officers deserve our respect.
▪ deserve credit/praise The team played really well and they deserve credit for it.
▪ deserve support This is a splendid proposal which deserves our support.
▪ deserve recognition (=public respect and thanks) The teaching profession deserves more recognition.
▪ deserve better (also deserve a better deal) (=deserve to be treated better or to be in a better situation) They treated him badly at work and I thought he deserved better.
▪ deserve a (special) mention (=used especially in speeches to mention someone's good work or actions) Richard deserves a special mention for all his hard work on this project.
▪ deserve a place You need top grades to deserve a place at the best universities.
▪ deserve punishment If you commit a crime, you have deserved punishment.
■ adverbs
▪ thoroughly/fully deserve something He didn't work so he thoroughly deserved his poor marks.
▪ richly deserve something (=greatly deserve something good that happens) Her success was richly deserved.
▪ well deserved The restaurant has a well deserved reputation for excellent fish.
■ phrases
▪ get what you deserve (=experience something bad after you have behaved badly) I like films where the bad guys get what they deserve.
▪ deserve all/everything you get (=deserve any bad things that happen to you) She's behaved really stupidly and she deserves all she gets.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
deserve
de·serve [deserve deserves deserved deserving] [dɪˈzɜːv] [dɪˈzɜːrv] verb
(not used in the progressive tenses) if sb/sth deserves sth, it is right that they should have it, because of the way they have behaved or because of what they are
• ~ sth You deserve a rest after all that hard work.
• The report deserves careful consideration.
• One player in particular deserves a mention.
• What have I done to deserve this?
• ~ to do sth They didn't deserve to win.
• He deserves to be locked up for ever for what he did.
• ~ doing sth Several other points deserve mentioning.
more at one good turn deserves another at turn n.
Idioms: deserve all you get ▪ get what you deserve ▪ somebody deserves a medal
Verb forms:
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French deservir, from Latin deservire ‘serve well or zealously’.
Thesaurus:
deserve verb T
• You deserve a rest after all that work.
earn • |formal merit •
deserve/earn a rest/drink
deserve/merit a mention
deserve/merit attention/consideration/recognition
Deserve or earn? Deserve can be used to talk about either sth pleasant sb should have for doing good, or a punishment for sth bad; earn is only used to talk about sth good.
Example Bank:
• He finally received the recognition that he so richly deserved.
• His work received only a tiny mention in the journal; he deserves better.
• It's true she made a mistake but she hardly deserves to lose her job.
• Philip's efforts clearly deserve praise.
• She deserves some reward for all her hard work.
• This hotel fully deserves its four-star grading.
• You really deserve a medal!
• They didn't deserve to win.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
deserve / dɪˈzɜːv / / -ˈzɝːv / verb [ T not continuous ]
B1 to have earned or to be given something because of the way you have behaved or the qualities you have:
After all that hard work, you deserve a holiday.
Chris deserves our special thanks for all his efforts.
I hope they get the punishment they deserve.
[ + to infinitive ] They certainly deserved to win that match.
Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
deserve
[dɪzɜ͟ː(r)v]
deserves, deserving, deserved
1) VERB If you say that a person or thing deserves something, you mean that they should have it or receive it because of their actions or qualities.
[V n] Government officials clearly deserve some of the blame as well...
[V n] They know the sport inside out, and we treat them with the respect they deserve...
[V to-inf] These people deserve to make more than the minimum wage...
[V to-inf] His children's books are classics that deserve to be much better known...
[V compar] By the time I left he'd become pretty hostile. I felt I deserved better than that...
[V-ed] The Park Hotel has been in business since 1834 and has a well-deserved reputation.
2) PHRASE (feelings) If you say that someone got what they deserved, you mean that they deserved the bad thing that happened to them, and you have no sympathy for them.
One of them said the two dead joy riders got what they deserved.
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
deserve
de·serve /dɪˈzɚv/ verb -serves; -served; -serv·ing [+ obj]
- used to say that someone or something should or should not have or be given something
• She deserves another chance.
• He doesn't deserve the award.
• Every defendant deserves a fair trial.
• The newspaper deserves a lot of credit for calling attention to the problem.
• I think the idea deserves [=merits] consideration.
• The story deserves telling. [=the story should be told; the story is important enough to tell]
• What did I do to deserve this kind of harsh treatment? [=you should not treat me this way]
• She believes that people eventually get what they deserve.
• He deserves a medal for coming up with a solution so quickly. [=he did something very good and impressive by coming up with a solution so quickly]
- often followed by to + verb
• Anyone who will not use a map deserves to get lost.
• They deserve to be punished.
• He deserves to win.
- deserved /dɪˈzɚvd/ adj
• a well-deserved vacation/break
• a deserved win/victory/reputation
• The award/criticism was not deserved.
- de·serv·ed·ly /dɪˈzɚvədli/ adv
• She was deservedly praised for her generosity.
• He has been accused of being selfish, and deservedly so. [=he deserves to be called selfish; it is reasonable to call him selfish because of his behavior]