as in to appoint
to appoint as one's representative he deputized a local citizen to take charge of the situation while he went for reinforcements

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deputize And civil rights demonstrators – including a future congressman – were savagely beaten in 1965 by state troopers and deputized citizens in Selma, Alabama. Andy Rose, CNN, 13 Mar. 2025 Its power derives from Musk, the wealthiest person on the planet, who has been deputized to dismantle vast swaths of the federal bureaucracy—slashing budgets, gutting the civil service, and stripping independent agencies of the ability to impede the President’s objectives. Simon Shuster, TIME, 7 Feb. 2025 This can mean helping ICE identify undocumented people at local jails, or officers at those facilities being deputized to execute federal immigration warrants. Jeff Weiner, Axios, 27 Jan. 2025 Trump's plans to deputize state authorities involve granting local police officers the authority to enforce federal immigration laws. Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deputize

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“Deputize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deputize. Accessed 6 Apr. 2025.

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