declaration

American  

[dek-luh-rey-shuhn] / ˌdɛk ləˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

• declarations
  plural

1. the act of declaring; announcement.

   a declaration of a dividend.

2. a positive, explicit, or formal statement; proclamation.

   a declaration of war.

3. something that is announced, avowed, or proclaimed.

4. a document embodying or displaying an announcement or proclamation.

   He posted the declaration in a public place.

   Synonyms:

   edict, manifesto, bulletin, notice

5. Law.

   1. a formal statement presenting the plaintiff's claim in an action.

   2. a complaint.

   3. a statement, especially by a witness.

   4. a statement made to an official.

6. Cards.

   1. Bridge. a bid, especially the successful bid.

   2. the statement during the game of the points earned by a player, in bezique or other games.

7. a statement of goods, income, etc., especially for the assessment of duty, tax, or the like.

---

declaration British  

/ ˌdɛkləˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. an explicit or emphatic statement

2. a formal statement or announcement; proclamation

3. the act of declaring

4. the ruling of a judge or court on a question of law, esp in the chancery division of the High Court

5. law an unsworn statement of a witness admissible in evidence under certain conditions See also statutory declaration

6. cricket the voluntary closure of an innings before all ten wickets have fallen

7. contract bridge the final contract

8. a statement or inventory of goods, etc, submitted for tax assessment

   a customs declaration

9. cards an announcement of points made after taking a trick, as in bezique

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counterdeclaration
  noun
• nondeclaration
  noun
• predeclaration
  noun
• redeclaration
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• declarations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of declaration

1300–50; Middle English declaracioun (< Anglo-French ) < Latin dēclārātiōn- (stem of dēclārātiō ) explanation, equivalent to dēclārāt ( us ) (past participle of dēclārāre to explain, declare; see -ate ¹) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

An emphatic statement — either written or spoken — is called a declaration. The Continental Congress announced their intention to form a new nation when they wrote the Declaration of Independence. To declare is a verb, but when you add the suffix tion, you transform it to a noun. A formal public statement can be called a declaration. You would be making a formal declaration of your love, if you paid to have "I Love You, Alex" put on the big screen at the game. When you travel, you may need to make a declaration — a formal statement — about any taxable items you purchased outside the country when you return.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

declaration declarations

His letter also includes a declaration from a law professor who studies real-estate finance, Kathleen Engel of Suffolk University, stating that the evidence against Cook the White House has presented doesn’t show intentional wrongdoing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Earlier this year, Reform-led Wakefield Council voted to rescind its climate and biodiversity emergency declaration from May 2019.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

“This emergency declaration enables the City to act swiftly in reducing wildfire risks while continuing our balanced approach that protects both public safety and vulnerable community members.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

More than 1,900 people have died from the virus since that declaration on 15 May, making this the second-worst Ebola outbreak ever.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

He proposes that a declaration of war should be a kind of popular festival with entrance-tickets and bands, like a bull fight.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

For a lawsuit to go forward under the Child Victims Act, two declarations must be filed under seal to the court.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

“Doctors can’t make definitive declarations about legal capacity, but they can share important medical insights about your loved one’s cognitive condition, mental status and ability to understand information.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Several papers lead with declarations of drought across the UK, the third in five years.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

A day later, Putin left the Chinese capital having signed 42 agreements and joint declarations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

One of the old declarations of the medieval Aristotelian doctrine—as strong as the ban on the vacuum—was the statement that Earth was unique.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife