What does deserve mean?
Word: Deserve
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Deserve means to have earned something, good or bad, because of what you have done or the way you are.
Synonyms: earn, warrant
How do you spell deserve?
Syllables: de - serve
Tricky part: There is one s, though it sounds like z, and the word ends in a silent e; desserve and deserv are the usual slips.
Watch out for: desserve, deserv, dezerve
Memory tip: Remember the saying one good turn deserves another, and let one good s do the work in the middle.
Deserve in a sentence
Example 1: After all that hard work, you deserve a long holiday.
Example 2: The cleaners at the station deserve more thanks than they get.
Example 3: He didn't deserve the blame for the broken window.
Fun Fact
The phrase just deserts, meaning the punishment or reward someone has earned, comes from an old noun desert linked to deserve, not from the dry land or the sweet dish.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word deserve as used in the sentence:
The farmers who fed the town through the floods deserve our respect.
a) doubt
b) refuse
c) lose
d) merit
Show answer
d) merit. To merit something is to have earned it, just as these farmers have.
Spell-o-Spell
One word in this list is misspelt. Choose its meaning:
1. honour 2. acomplish 3. deserve 4. reward
a) something given in return for good work
b) to succeed in finishing something difficult
c) great respect shown to someone
d) to have a right to something because of what you did
Show answer
b) to succeed in finishing something difficult. Acomplish is a c short near the start; deserve, reward and honour are spelt correctly.
Word Cookie
Choose the letters that complete the word:
d_s_rve
a) i, e
b) e, i
c) i, u
d) e, e
Show answer
d) e, e. Both gaps take e: de at the start and ser in the middle.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A deserving student is one who ____.
a) skips all homework
b) keeps coming late
c) never reads books
d) has earned a reward
Show answer
d) has earned a reward
2. If a punishment is undeserved, the person ____.
a) asked for it loudly
b) did nothing to earn it
c) was given a prize
d) got it twice over
Show answer
b) did nothing to earn it
