Deserve: Earning What Comes to You, Good or Bad
To deserve is to be worthy of something because of what you have done. The word works for rewards and punishments alike, which is the whole point of it.
Deserve links what you get to what you did. It is neutral about direction: you can deserve a medal and deserve a fine, and English uses the same verb for both because the claim being made is identical.
- To be worthy of a reward. *She deserves the promotion.*
- To merit a punishment. *He deserved everything he got.*
- To warrant attention. *The proposal deserves consideration.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | deserve | You deserve better. |
| Adjective | deserved | A deserved victory. |
| Adverb | deservedly | Deservedly praised. |
| Adjective | deserving | A deserving cause. |
| Adjective | undeserved | Undeserved criticism. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The team deserved to win.Deserve to plus a verb.
- It deserves a proper answer.Deserve plus a noun.
- He got his just deserts.Spelled deserts, not desserts — from the same root as deserve.
Just deserts, not desserts
- Deserts here means what is deserved, and is stressed like desserts
- It comes from Old French *deserte*, from the same verb as deserve
- Dessert is a separate word, from French *desservir*, to clear the table
- Desert meaning arid land is a third word entirely
- Three words, two spellings, one very common mistake
From Old French *deservir*, from Latin *deservire*, to serve well or zealously. The idea moved from serving to earning: what you deserve is what your service has earned you.
Just deserts or just desserts?
Deserts, with one s in the middle. It means the things deserved, even though it sounds like the pudding.
Deserve of or deserve?
Deserve takes a direct object with no preposition: *deserve a rest*, not deserve of a rest.