declare
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make known or state clearly, especially in explicit or formal terms.
to declare one's position in a controversy.
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to announce officially; proclaim.
to declare a state of emergency; to declare a winner.
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to state emphatically.
He declared that the allegation was a lie.
- Synonyms:
- state, asseverate, aver
- Antonyms:
- deny
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to manifest; reveal; show.
Her attendance at the rally declared her political allegiance.
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to make due statement of, especially goods for duty or income for taxation.
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to make (a dividend) payable.
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Bridge. to bid (a trump suit or no-trump).
verb (used without object)
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to make a declaration.
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to proclaim oneself (usually followed by for oragainst ).
He declared against the proposal.
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Cricket. (of a team) to surrender a turn at bat in an innings before ten players are put out.
verb
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(may take a clause as object) to make clearly known or announce officially
to declare one's interests
war was declared
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to state officially that (a person, fact, etc) is as specified
he declared him fit
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(may take a clause as object) to state emphatically; assert
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to show, reveal, or manifest
the heavens declare the glory of God
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(intr; often foll by for or against) to make known one's choice or opinion
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to make a complete statement of (dutiable goods, etc)
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(also intr) cards
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to display (a card or series of ards) on the table so as to add to one's score
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to decide (the trump suit) by making the final bid
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(intr) cricket to close an innings voluntarily before all ten wickets have fallen
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to authorize the payment of (a dividend) from corporate net profit
Synonym Usage
Declare, affirm, assert, protest imply making something known emphatically, openly, or formally. To declare is to make known, sometimes in the face of actual or potential contradiction: to declare someone the winner of a contest. To affirm is to make a statement based on one's reputation for knowledge or veracity, or so related to a generally recognized truth that denial is not likely: to affirm the necessity of high standards. To assert is to state boldly, usually without other proof than personal authority or conviction: to assert that the climate is changing. To protest is to affirm publicly, as if in the face of doubt: to protest that a newspaper account is misleading.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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misdeclareverb
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predeclareverb (used with object)
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redeclareverb (used with object)
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declarableadjective
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undeclarableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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declaresimple
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declaressimple
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have declaredperfect
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has declaredperfect
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am declaringprogressive
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are declaringprogressive
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is declaringprogressive
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have been declaringperfect progressive
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has been declaringperfect progressive
Past
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declaredsimple
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had declaredperfect
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was declaringprogressive
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were declaringprogressive
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had been declaringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of declare
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English declaren, from Latin dēclārāre “to announce, make evident, reveal,” from dē- de- + clārāre “to make clear” (from clārus clear )
Explanation
If you declare victory, you are ending a war by saying you have won. Hopefully, the other side agrees, or your troops might declare you a fool. To declare is to state clearly and officially. In elections, the government body that counts the votes declares the winner. Until the declaration is made, the results are not official. When you are traveling, you might be asked if you have anything to declare. You're not being asked for a statement of your beliefs, rather they want to know if you bought anything taxable abroad. If you hear your grandmother say, "Well, I declare!" you can be sure she is shocked and offended.
Vocabulary lists containing declare
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 4
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Nethy Bridge residents said there had not been enough communication from the government about the wildfire, and also criticised the time that was taken to declare it a major incident.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
The plaintiffs asked the court to declare the surveillance policy unlawful, vacate it and prohibit Homeland Security from continuing to collect and maintain records describing individuals’ protected First Amendment activities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The higher prices also enabled the company to maintain its $1.5 billion quarterly share buyback and declare a second-interim dividend of 0.90 euros a share.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
No authors declare a related conflict of interest under Johns Hopkins University policies.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
They tie nkisis of leaves around their wrists and declare themselves impermeable to bullets, immune to death.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
"Tragedy on beach trip" declares the Daily Mirror after a teenage girl and her mother drowned at a beach in Essex in a bid to rescue their seven-year-old relative.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
“Far more important than where a team works is how it works,” he declares.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
The front page also carries a photograph of aerial firefighting in southern France, noting that wildfires are ravaging a "sweltering Europe" as the first part of the UK declares drought.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
“I come from a murderer,” Maddox tearfully declares to a therapist in the opening minutes of the film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Yeah, we’re so lucky we don’t live there,” the girl sitting next to her declares, and then Sheila adds, “Can you imagine?” with a dramatic sigh.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
In 2011, a solar energy manufacturer named Solyndra declared bankruptcy.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
In Scotland a major incident was declared at the weekend as a result of a major wildfire in the Cairngorms, while a number of smaller fires have burned elsewhere in the UK.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Spain declared a national emergency as wildfires destroyed more than 370,000 acres of land this year, six times the damage from last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Last fall resulted in lots of controversy as numerous players were declared ineligible for falsifying paperwork.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
“Have you declared exclusivity with either of them?”
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
He praised the Secret Service officers and law enforcement personnel who responded that night, calling the attack “an assault on our democracy itself” and declaring that “we do not yield to political violence.”
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
But being even modestly above average is still a far cry from declaring that August is a losing month for the stock market.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Kerr, always unapologetically bold in declaring his ambitions, announced he would target the world record in London four months before this historic run - and has worked relentlessly towards backing that up since.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The country’s president, Lee Jae Myung, has supported the pivot to humanoid robots, declaring it “impossible to avoid the giant chariot that is rolling on.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Departing from Goedart’s example, she also included eggs, declaring boldly that eggs were the source of every caterpillar despite widespread public belief in spontaneous generation of insects.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
