vouch

American  

[vouch] / vaʊtʃ /

verb (used without object)

• vouches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• vouched,
  past participle,  past
• vouching
  present participle

1. to support as being true, certain, reliable, etc. (usually followed byfor ).

   Her record in office vouches for her integrity.

2. to attest; guarantee; certify (usually followed byfor ).

   to vouch for someone in a business transaction.

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verb (used with object)

• vouches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• vouched,
  past participle,  past
• vouching
  present participle

1. to sustain or uphold by, or as if by, practical proof or demonstration.

2. (formerly) to call or summon (a person) into court to make good a warranty of title.

3. to adduce or quote in support, as extracts from a book or author; cite in warrant or justification, as authority, instances, facts, etc.

4. Archaic. to warrant or attest; to support or authenticate with vouchers.

5. Archaic. to declare as with warrant; vouch for.

6. Obsolete. to call or take as a witness.

noun

Obsolete.

1. a vouching; an assertion.

2. a formal attestation; a supporting warrant.

vouch British  

/ vaʊtʃ /

verb

1. to give personal assurance; guarantee

   I'll vouch for his safety

2. to furnish supporting evidence (for) or function as proof (of)

3. (tr) English legal history to summon (a person who had warranted title to land) to defend that title or give up land of equal value

4. archaic (tr) to cite (authors, principles, etc) in support of something

5. obsolete (tr) to assert

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noun

1. obsolete the act of vouching; assertion or allegation

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unvouched
  adjective
• well-vouched
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• vouching
  present
• vouched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• vouch
  simple
• vouches
  simple
• have vouched
  perfect
• has vouched
  perfect
• am vouching
  progressive
• are vouching
  progressive
• is vouching
  progressive
• have been vouching
  perfect progressive
• has been vouching
  perfect progressive

Past

• vouched
  simple
• had vouched
  perfect
• was vouching
  progressive
• were vouching
  progressive
• had been vouching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will vouch
  simple
• will have vouched
  perfect
• will be vouching
  progressive
• will have been vouching
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of vouch

1275–1325; Middle English vouchen < Anglo-French, Middle French vo ( u ) cher, Old French avochier < Latin advocāre; see advocate

Explanation

If you vouch for someone, you provide evidence or guarantee something on their behalf. If you vouch for your brother, you're saying he's a stand-up type of guy. First used in the 14th century, vouch comes from the Latin vocitare, ("to call, call upon, or summon"). Sometimes it can mean offering supporting evidence, as when, for example, you're summoned to court to testify on someone's behalf. If you write a letter of recommendation for a student or co-worker, you vouch for their character and abilities. If you take out a student loan, the government will automatically vouch for you, that is, they'll guarantee the loan will be repaid.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vouch vouches vouched vouching

I can’t vouch for his math or version of events, but the principle is the important thing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

This way, if something goes awry, someone else at your company can vouch that you were receiving no guidance or support from your manager.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

Fifa shot back directly, stating that its official platform is the only guaranteed sales channel and that it cannot vouch for tickets bought via third parties.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

I use Claude, ChatGPT, and Google’s Gemini every day, and I can vouch for the truth in the Claude warning.

From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026

When we enrolled in West Virginia, she’d vouch for our scholastic achievement, and once our new teachers heard us read, they’d realize we were all gifted.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

That host you like vouches for them, and that’s good enough for most people.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2025

She routinely microneedles and vouches for the treatment.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025

They cannot enter campus buildings unless an app vouches that their test has come back negative.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2020

Anderson, the Alabama linebacker whose selection 49th overall followed Allen’s, vouches for the same.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 29, 2017

“Pima vouches for you, but I’m wondering if you got the sense to know how much of a favor she’s doing.”

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

Reyne, Gil’s deputy, vouched for Jeremy to stay, and so he started sleeping there, too.

From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026

Thadden, the former schoolmistress, had vouched for a newcomer named Paul Reckzeh who attended the party.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 19, 2025

Even so, some who had previously worked with Trump vouched for the Justice Department’s inherent integrity, stressing that, given the department’s structure, it would be very difficult for its employees to act in bad faith.

From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2025

Combs' children - some sobbing - also vouched for his transformation in prison.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2025

He had no reason to doubt our story and not only escorted us to the magistrate, but vouched for us and explained our predicament.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

The diplomat, John Barrett, told a Colombian reporter that Washington had “a great deal of confidence…in the local authorities,” vouching for the Rodríguez government even as many Venezuelans accused it of bungling the response.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

She also had the power to boost deserving people otherwise overlooked by agencies and designers by vouching for them.

From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026

The Thirtysomething actor's defence team submitted more than 70 letters from people vouching for his character and said that he underwent and passed a polygraph test pertaining to the allegations against him.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026

In response to the AP’s reporting, the Moreno campaign produced an open letter signed by 23 former female employees vouching that he treated them fairly and respectfully.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2024

In spite of Brother Fowles’s vouching for his character, Mother suspected these gifts from the chief were not without strings attached.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver