Deny, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Denied; p. pr. & vb. n. Denying.]
Etymology: [OE. denien, denaien, OF. denier, deneer, F. dénier, fr. L. denegare; de- + negare to say no, deny. See Negation.]
1. To declare not to be true; to gainsay; to contradict; -- opposed to affirm, allow, or admit.
Note: We deny what another says, or we deny the truth of an assertion, the force of it, or the assertion itself.
2. To refuse (to do something or to accept something); to reject; to decline; to renounce. [Obs.] "If you deny to dance." Shak.
3. To refuse to grant; to withhold; to refuse to gratify or yield to; as, to deny a request. Who finds not Providence all good and wise, Alike in what it gives, and what denies Pope. To some men, it is more agreeable to deny a vicious inclination, than to gratify it. J. Edwards.
1 more senses
4. To disclaim connection with, responsibility for, and the like; to refuse to acknowledge; to disown; to abjure; to disavow. The falsehood of denying his opinion. Bancroft. Thou thrice denied, yet thrice beloved. Keble. To deny one's self, to decline the gratification of appetites or desires; to practice self-denial. Let him deny himself, and take up his cross. Matt. xvi. 24.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Deny, v. i.
To answer in Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. Gen. xviii. 15.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for deny; he lists it under renounce.
Where he writes about it:
Recant (L. re, back, and canto, sing) is to take back or deny formally and publicly, as a belief that one has held or professed. — from renounce
To deny is to affirm to be not true or not binding; as, to deny a statement or a relationship; or to refuse to grant as something requested; as, his mother could not deny him what he desired. — from renounce
A person may deny, disavow, disclaim, disown what has been truly or falsely imputed to him or supposed to be his. — from renounce
He may deny his signature, disavow the act of his agent, disown his child; he may repudiate a just claim or a base suggestion. — from renounce
A native of the United States can not abjure or renounce allegiance to the Queen of England, but will promptly deny or repudiate it. — from renounce