deny

/di-ˈnī/

Middle English denien, borrowed from Anglo-French denier, deneier (also continental Old French), from de- de-nier "to renounce, deny, refuse" (after Latin dēnegāre "to deny"), going back to Latin negāre "to say (with the negative of a conjoined clause), deny, say no"

verb

  1. to declare (something) to be untrue

  2. to refuse to admit or acknowledge (something) : disavow

  3. to give a negative answer to

They denied the allegations.

deny gainsay contradict contravene mean to refuse to accept as true or valid. deny implies a firm refusal to accept as true, to grant or concede, or to acknowledge the existence or claims of. gainsay implies disputing the truth of what another has said.

idiom

  1. to not allow oneself to enjoy things or to have the things one wants

On this diet, I don't feel like I'm denying myself.

idiom

  1. to give/refuse permission to see

He was granted/denied access to the report.