testimony

American  

[tes-tuh-moh-nee, -muh-nee] / ˈtɛs təˌmoʊ ni, -mə ni /

noun

• testimonies
  plural

1. Law. the statement or declaration of a witness under oath or affirmation, usually in court.

   Synonyms:

   attestation, deposition

2. evidence in support of a fact or statement; proof.

   Synonyms:

   corroboration

3. open declaration or profession, as of faith.

   Synonyms:

   affirmation

4. Usually testimonies. the precepts of God.

5. the Decalogue as inscribed on the two tablets of the law, or the ark in which the tablets were kept. Exodus 16:34; 25:16.

6. Archaic. a declaration of disapproval; protest.

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testimony British  

/ ˈtɛstɪmənɪ /

noun

1. a declaration of truth or fact

2. law evidence given by a witness, esp orally in court under oath or affirmation

3. evidence testifying to something

   her success was a testimony to her good luck

4. Old Testament

   1. the Ten Commandments, as inscribed on the two stone tables

   2. the Ark of the Covenant as the receptacle of these (Exodus 25:16; 16:34)

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Synonym Usage

See evidence.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pretestimony
  noun
• retestimony
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• testimonies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of testimony

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin testimōnium, equivalent to testi(s) “witness” + -mōnium noun suffix; see -mony

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Explanation

When you give testimony you are telling what you saw or what you know. Your testimony that your hand was not in the cookie jar goes against the testimony of several eyewitnesses. The Latin root for testimony is testis, meaning “ witness.” “Eye witness testimony” is a phrase you will hear often in legal discussions. An object can also give testimony, without speaking of course: "The statue they built of you outside the bowling alley offers testimony to your greatness."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

testimony testimonies

Across an itinerant urgency of walks, drives, embraces, laughs, threats, nervy meetings, shared meals, phone calls and tearful testimony, Loktev’s immersive portrait of roving defiance is as necessary as nonfiction gets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Judicial education that accurately conveys the state of the science to judges equips them to evaluate expert testimony and evidence independently and on the merits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

During the course of his sworn testimony, Williams was shown a number of internal military documents by the inquiry's lawyers.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Hasan chose to conduct his own defense during the trial but called no witnesses and gave no testimony, and made no attempt to deny the charges.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

The promises he got from various doctors and dignitaries, whether they were kept or not, were a testimony to his charm and persistence, and would be followed up with Farmer’s calls, letters, and emails.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

I asked whether he knew the vigil had included testimonies from families in Gaza, which Lenkinski said the protesters had drowned out.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

The commission reviewed more than 10,000 photographs and video segments and collected more than 430 testimonies and interviews with survivors, witnesses, former hostages, experts and family members.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

The first phase of the inquiry has already heard the personal testimonies of those bereaved and injured in the Real IRA bombing.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Anthropic said the operation also ghost-wrote official testimonies intended for delivery at the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, drafting them under "specific restrictions" that neither speech mention the UAE.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

During some witness testimonies, Guiteau made a show of ignoring the speaker on the stand by reading his newspapers and brushing away flies around his head.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

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Related Words

• affidavit
• data
• demonstration
• deposition
• documentation
• evidence
• information
• statement
• testament
• witness

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