affirm
Americanverb (used with object)
-
affirms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
affirmed,
past participle, past
-
affirming
present participle
-
to state or assert positively; maintain as true.
to affirm one's loyalty to one's country; He affirmed that all was well.
- Synonyms:
- testify, depose, asseverate, aver
- Antonyms:
- deny
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to confirm or ratify.
The appellate court affirmed the judgment of the lower court.
-
to assert solemnly.
He affirmed his innocence.
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to express agreement with or commitment to; uphold; support.
to affirm human rights.
-
to support (someone) by giving approval, recognition, or encouragement.
She described the unhappy memory of her father, who had neither disciplined nor affirmed her.
verb (used without object)
-
affirms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
affirmed,
past participle, past
-
affirming
present participle
verb
-
(may take a clause as object) to declare to be true; assert positively
-
to uphold, confirm, or ratify
-
(intr) law to make an affirmation
Synonym Usage
See declare.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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affirmernoun
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overaffirmverb
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preaffirmverb
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reaffirmverb (used with object)
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affirmableadjective
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affirmablyadverb
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affirminglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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affirmsimple
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affirmssimple
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have affirmedperfect
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has affirmedperfect
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am affirmingprogressive
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are affirmingprogressive
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is affirmingprogressive
-
have been affirmingperfect progressive
-
has been affirmingperfect progressive
Past
-
affirmedsimple
-
had affirmedperfect
-
was affirmingprogressive
-
were affirmingprogressive
-
had been affirmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of affirm
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin affirmāre, equivalent to af- af- + firmāre “to make firm” ( see firm 1); replacing Middle English a(f)fermen, from Middle French afermer, from Latin
Explanation
To affirm something is to give it a big "YES" or to confirm that it is true. The verb affirm means to answer positively, but it has a more weighty meaning in legal circles. People are asked to swear an oath or affirm that they will tell the truth in a court of law. Lawyers may ask people to affirm facts, and judges may affirm rulings. In these cases, affirm means to verify or attest to the validity of something.
Vocabulary lists containing affirm
Speech and Debate
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"Ad Power," "Without Commercials," and "What's Wrong with Advertising"
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This Week In Culture: Current Events Vocab for October 3–9, 2020
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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:
The university “remains committed to full compliance with federal law” and “welcomes the opportunity to work collaboratively and constructively with the federal government to affirm that commitment.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
The minutes from the Fed’s June meeting, released Wednesday, appeared to affirm that many top central bankers remain ready to raise rates in the future to tamp down inflation.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
Advocates are beating back policies that make it a crime to be homeless and fighting to affirm the rights of their homeless neighbors.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026
"In a time of growing technological and global fragmentation, this spotlight underscores Europe's ambition to affirm its sovereignty and take the lead in innovation," they said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
“Oh, he’s showing up all right,” I affirm.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Pixar affirms this by incorporating a Totoro cameo into “Toy Story 3.”
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
A legal settlement announced this week now affirms that private immigrant detention facilities are subject to California’s workplace safety and health requirements.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Caroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said in a statement that the Supreme Court's decision "affirms once and for all the jury's unanimous verdict that President Donald J Trump sexually assaulted and defamed E Jean Carroll".
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
"Today's Supreme Court decision affirms once and for all the jury's unanimous verdict that President Donald J. Trump sexually assaulted and defamed E. Jean Carroll," said Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
“Then right now we’ll just have to sit tight and hope for the best,” Alyssa affirms for herself.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
I was really lucky that so many subjects were so kind to me and affirmed I wasn’t my grandfather and that I didn’t need to carry historical or generational burdens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
FCC, a 1990s case that affirmed the constitutionality of regulations derived from the scarcity of broadcast licenses, despite the rise of cable television at that point.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
Looking ahead, the company expects third-quarter EPS of $2 to $2.50, compared with the current FactSet consensus of $2.03, and affirmed its full-year EPS guidance range of $6.50 to $7.50.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
Barbara, Chief Justice John Roberts screams from the rafters that the framers of the 14th Amendment affirmed “citizenship, then as now, was the right to have rights—freely to participate in our community.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Participants read assertions whose veracity was either affirmed or denied by the subsequent presentation of an assessment word.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
On Sunday, after her setback, she squawks half halfheartedly a few times, with the center affirming she’s “brighter.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Critics, however, say that therapists should be questioning their clients’ estrangement beliefs, not affirming them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
“I don’t want kids to think that, and I don’t want parents to think that because affirming your kid is right and life-saving.”
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Humphrey’s held Congress could prevent the president from firing the heads of these agencies without good cause, affirming a tradition that reached back to the early days of the republic.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
We were devastated when the Court of Criminal Appeals issued a ruling affirming her conviction and sentence.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
