Synonyms

attest

American

[uh-test] / əˈtɛst /

verb (used with object)

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.
to give proof or evidence of; manifest.

His works attest his industry.
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.
to put on oath.

verb (used without object)

to testify or bear witness (often followed byto ).

to attest to the reliability of an employee.

noun

Archaic. witness; testimony; attestation.

attest British

/ əˈtɛst /

verb

(tr) to affirm the correctness or truth of
to witness (an act, event, etc) or bear witness to (an act, event, etc) as by signature or oath
(tr) to make evident; demonstrate

his life of luxury attests his wealth
(tr) to provide evidence for

the marks in the ground attested the presence of a fossil

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

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Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

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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:

attest attests attested attesting

Alexander said California law requires registering voters to prove and attest to their identity and has multiple verification measures to ensure people casting ballots are who they say they are.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

And I can attest that the atmosphere was lively, a sign that this company is moving into the AI age.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

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

The voting was absolutely free, as Aureliano himself was able to attest since he spent almost the entire day with his father-in-law seeing that no one voted more than once.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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

Exchanges at the Supreme Court are getting testier, as one this week between Associate Justices Samuel Alito and Ketanji Brown Jackson attests.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 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

A total of 53 crosses attests to that.

From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2025

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

De Kooning’s refusal to settle for a single approach is attested to by a series of cartoon-like standing figures, repeated by means of transfer techniques, that recalls those earlier efforts at illustration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

His long, productive career encompassed more than six decades, in each of which his live performances and recordings continually attested to his preeminence as one of jazz history’s most vital, innovative and influential artists.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

The brilliance of “Point Blank” is attested to in the Criterion edition, which features, among other supplemental material, a fascinating commentary track with Mr. Boorman and Steven Soderbergh.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

She did all this, he continued, “while enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles, as attested to by her frequent posting on her recently deleted Instagram account.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026

None of those uses of the wheel was adopted in the Americas, where wheels are attested only in Mexican ceramic toys.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

A medical letter attesting to your mother’s health might help.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

Another tactic, several parents said: Seek out teachers who give their kid extra leeway with test time in class and have them write letters attesting to the student’s anxiety or other reason for special treatment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

“Where we don’t have research, clinical trials, what we’ve got a ton of, is, shall we say, testimonials, patient affidavits, attesting to the wonders of the drug,” said Scott Brunner, the alliance’s chief executive officer.

From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026

"Then, the video attesting to the truth would be shown," she says.

From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026

Kamen reached out to Lawrence for a deposition attesting to his loyalty, of which Lawrence in fact had no doubt.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023