perjury
Americannoun
plural
perjuriesnoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of perjury
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English perjurie, from Anglo-French, from Latin perjūrium, from perjūr(us) “swearing falsely” ( see perjure) + -ium -ium; replacing parjure, from Old French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
Perjury is the act of deliberately lying under oath. A defendant in a murder trial commits perjury when he swears he never met the murder victim before, even though he had a two-year relationship with her. Although the word perjury contains jury, members of the jury aren't likely to commit perjury, because they're not under oath and haven't sworn to be truthful. A witness in a trial can commit perjury by willfully lying about facts related to the case. Perjury isn't just a little white lie. It's a crime that can land the person who commits it in jail.
Vocabulary lists containing perjury
The Crucible
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You Be the Judge: Jud, Jur, Jus
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A Web of Lies
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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.
Perjury carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, but it is unlikely Runcie would have received a lengthy term if he had been convicted.
From Washington Times • Apr. 25, 2023
Perjury probes soon followed; the embattled executives all left the industry within a couple years.
From Salon • Dec. 5, 2021
Britain’s 1677 Statute of Frauds required signatures “for prevention of many fraudulent Practices which are commonly endeavored to be upheld by Perjury and Subornation of Perjury.”
From New York Times • Apr. 14, 2018
Perjury accusations have bedeviled many other Cabinet secretaries and members of Congress in recent decades.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2017
Perjury in the case of General Gilly, &c.
From Fox's Book of Martyrs Or A History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Triumphant Deaths of the Primitive Protestant Martyrs by Foxe, John
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.
