attest
Americanverb (used with object)
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to bear witness to; certify; declare to be correct, true, or genuine; declare the truth of, in words or writing, especially to affirm in an official capacity.
to attest the truth of a statement.
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to give proof or evidence of; manifest.
His works attest his industry.
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Linguistics. to give evidence of the existence of (a word, phrase, usage, etc.), especially in writing: The dictionary attests this meaning as early as 1890.
The plural form is attested in ancient texts.
The dictionary attests this meaning as early as 1890.
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to put on oath.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
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(tr) to affirm the correctness or truth of
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to witness (an act, event, etc) or bear witness to (an act, event, etc) as by signature or oath
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(tr) to make evident; demonstrate
his life of luxury attests his wealth
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(tr) to provide evidence for
the marks in the ground attested the presence of a fossil
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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attestantnoun
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attestationnoun
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attestatornoun
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attesternoun
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attestornoun
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reattestverb (used with object)
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attestableadjective
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attestiveadjective
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unattestedadjective
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well-attestedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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attestsimple
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attestssimple
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have attestedperfect
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has attestedperfect
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am attestingprogressive
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are attestingprogressive
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is attestingprogressive
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have been attestingperfect progressive
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has been attestingperfect progressive
Past
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attestedsimple
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had attestedperfect
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was attestingprogressive
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were attestingprogressive
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had been attestingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of attest
First recorded in 1590–1600; < Middle French attester, from Latin attestārī “to bear witness to, affirm, confirm” equivalent to at- at- + testārī “to witness” ( see testis ( def. ))
Explanation
To attest is to prove or declare to be true. For example: the fact that you aced the SAT attests to the strength of your vocabulary. Attest and testify come from the same Latin word testari, which means "to declare." Although both words are kind of formal, you often testify in a courtroom, but attest doesn't require a court of law to function. You can attest to anything — that the funny looking shoes toned your thighs, that what someone says is true, or that the new acne medicine really works. To remember it, think of when you pass a test, you attest that you know the material.
Vocabulary lists containing attest
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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Posted
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The Ancient Period, Before 600 BCE
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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:
Hartig told lawmakers that while the White House report is under review, "we unwaveringly attest that it does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum."
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Seattleites, however, can attest that Burning Man’s ruin began long ago, pretty much since Microsofties and Amazonians invaded it in the early aughts.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
"People who know me will attest I'm a little fond of football," the Pope said at the mass.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Ultimately, there are only three ways to deal with higher prices from chip suppliers, as the airlines can attest when oil rises.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Greek art reached a pinnacle of beauty as respect for the individual flourished in Athens, and Roman relics attest to the might of the greatest empire in the ancient world.
From "The Annotated Mona Lisa" by Carol Strickland and John Boswell
Shew said he’s only supposed to be given registrations to process if the would-be voter attests they are a U.S. citizen, as federal law requires.
From Salon ● May 14, 2026
The huge demand in the U.S. attests to advice gone unheeded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
Jean has two personalities, he attests: “the peaceful one here, and the bonkers one onstage.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
"Belen Garijo's brilliant international career attests to her strategic vision and her ability to drive profound and value-creating transformations," board chairman Frederic Oudea said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
Gorgias’s brother Herodicus is a doctor, and the former attests that when trying to persuade a patient to submit to a course of treatment, his oratory is far more effective than his brother’s medical expertise.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Greenspan, in a 1985 letter to regulators and in testimony to Congress, attested to Lincoln’s financial strength and the prudence of its lending program.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
In letters to the court, family and friends, including Perla Hudson, the ex-wife of musician Slash, attested to Sangha’s character.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
The two have not talked since the report was published Wednesday, but that’s not out of the ordinary, James attested.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2026
A large, gestural 1972 painting attested to a road not taken, while records of his sojourns in Europe and Africa revealed the influence of architecture on abstract structure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025
From then on, I knew that there was a ritual to a street fight, bylaws and codes that, in their very need, attested to all the vulnerability of the black teenage bodies.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
"Then, the video attesting to the truth would be shown," she says.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026
Just seven weeks later, he got another mortgage for a seven-bedroom, marble-floored neighboring property, attesting that it too would be his principal residence.
From Salon ● Dec. 8, 2025
Louzier pointed out that Hamraoui did not have a medical certificate attesting to suffering from harassment, had not contacted PSG about it, nor the club's employees' council.
From Barron's ● Nov. 17, 2025
The attorneys for Javice and her co-executive, who was also convicted of fraud, have been sending bills to JPMorgan since 2023 and attesting that they are reasonable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
The note was stamped with the school’s official seal, attesting that he was a full-time student and only thirteen years old.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
