noun A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a drawer or repository underneath.
She organized her notes neatly on her desk before starting the project.
noun A reading table or lectern to support the book from which the liturgical service is read, differing from the pulpit from which the sermon is preached; also (especially in the United States), a pulpit. Hence, used symbolically for the clerical profession.
noun A department tasked with a particular topic or focus in certain types of businesses, such as newspapers and financial trading firms.
the city desk, the sports desk
noun Ellipsis of mixing desk.
noun A station for a string player in an orchestra, consisting of a chair and a music stand, or a row of such stations.
The first four desks of cellos play separate parts, making a lush, Impressionist harmony.
verb To shut up, as in a desk; to treasure. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
verb To equip with a desk or desks.
verb To reject (an article submitted to a newspaper or academic journal etc.) on initial receipt, without reviewing it further.