To depose means to remove someone from a position of power, especially a ruler or leader. When a king is deposed, he's forced off his throne and loses his authority. When a dictator is deposed, the people or military take away his control of the country.

The word suggests removal by force or official action. A president who loses an election hasn't been deposed: they left office through normal processes. But a monarch overthrown in a revolution has been deposed. Throughout history, rulers have been deposed through coups, uprisings, or actions by other powerful groups who decided the leader needed to go.

In a completely different legal context, to depose someone means to question them under oath as part of a lawsuit, usually before a trial. A lawyer might depose a witness, asking questions while a court reporter writes down every word. This testimony, called a deposition, becomes part of the official court record. Though this meaning sounds unrelated, both senses involve putting someone in a formal situation where they must answer to authority: a ruler answering to the people, or a witness answering to the law.