deny

de|ny [ dı`naı ] verb transitive ***

1. ) to say that you did not do something that someone has accused you of doing:

deny (that): A spokesman denied that the company had acted irresponsibly.

deny (doing) something: He still denies murdering his wife.

deny an allegation/accusation/claim/charge: Both men have denied the allegations.

vehemently/strenuously/categorically/hotly deny something: All three athletes vehemently deny taking the drug.

a ) to say that something is not true or does not exist:

deny the existence of something: Officials have repeatedly denied the existence of a secret report.

deny a rumor: He has denied rumors that he is having an affair with a government official.

deny (that): Officials continue to deny that drug use is widespread in the sport.

b ) VERY FORMAL to say that you do not know a particular person or do not have a particular belief or opinion:

Denying his friend was the only way to survive.

Neither man was prepared to deny his religion.

2. ) to refuse to admit to yourself or other people that you have a particular feeling, illness, or problem:

I had been denying this anger for years.

3. ) to not allow someone to have something:

deny something to someone: Doctors were accused of denying treatment to older patients.

be denied something: He had been denied the right to speak to his lawyer.

deny someone something: There are parents who refuse to deny their children anything.

a ) MAINLY JOURNALISM to stop an opponent from winning or scoring:

The home team was denied victory in the dying minutes of the game.

deny yourself FORMAL

to not allow yourself to have something you would like to have

there's no denying SPOKEN

used for saying that something is clearly true:

There's no denying her popularity.

there's no denying (that): There's no denying that he was a great man.