During a lawsuit but outside of the courtroom, the questioning under oath of a party or witness by the attorney for the adverse party, with attorneys for both sides and a court reporter (stenographer) present. Although the deposition is used to obtain information for trial, part or all of it may itself be admissible (allowed as evidence) at the trial. The term “deposition” may refer either to the actual questioning, or to the written record which is produced by the court reporter.
Pretrial discovery tool or technique in which the person being questioned (the deponent) is placed under oath and asked to testify about issues on the subject of litigation, which is then transcribed.