a person who is appointed to undertake the duties of a superior in the superior’s absence:his deputy has been largely running the business for the past year [as modifier]:the deputy prime minister
a parliamentary representative in certain countries:the communists had numbered 324 out of the 450 deputies
British a coal mine official responsible for safety.
by deputy
historical instructing another person to act in one’s stead; by proxy:the wardens of the forests performed important duties by deputy
