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:
Supporters highlight that current law already demands voters attest to their citizenship under penalty of perjury, and they contend that constitutional amendments like Prop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
As anyone who has been on social media can attest, this was a mistake.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
The six landscapes of a folding screen dated 1583-87 attest to painting’s use as a social tool for Joseon dynasty elites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Hugo and his fellow Year 10 French students can attest to the success of this method.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
He might have no windows to attest to it, but he had a watch, ticking steadily.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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
"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
As the ending of the musical attests, there may be a way to do both, to be politically engaged and still enjoy the beauty of the world around you.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 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
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
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
Today, she revels in ownership over the honor: “That was for me too and I recognize what my part in that was. I know I was put in this role for this,” she attested.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2025
Imposing “an entirely new command structure,” she attested, would “wreak operational havoc within MPD,” “create tremendous risk for the public,” and “inevitably lead to delays and confusion.”
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2025
As for Chinese writing, first attested around 1300 B.C. but with possible earlier precursors, it too has unique local signs and some unique principles, and most scholars assume that it evolved independently.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
There is no shortage of studies attesting to sunlight’s benefits that don’t get widely publicized.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
"Then, the video attesting to the truth would be shown," she says.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026
Environmentalists welcomed the shutdown as good news attesting to the country's plan to quit coal mining by 2030, when the last brown coal mine is due to close.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 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
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
