To deposit means to place something somewhere for safekeeping or future use. When you deposit money in a bank, you're putting it there so the bank can guard it until you need it. When a river deposits sand and silt along its banks during a flood, it's leaving those materials behind as the water slows down.

The word often implies something being left in a specific place, whether on purpose or naturally. A squirrel deposits acorns in hiding spots for winter. Your parents might deposit you at school in the morning. Scientists study mineral deposits: layers of valuable materials like gold, coal, or copper that accumulated underground over millions of years.

In everyday transactions, a deposit can also mean money you pay upfront as part of a larger payment. If your family rents a beach house, they might pay a security deposit that they'll get back if nothing gets damaged. When you return bottles for recycling, you get back the deposit you paid when you bought them.

Whether it's coins in a piggy bank or sediment settling at the bottom of a lake, depositing means placing something for keeping.