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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attesternoun
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attestantnoun
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attestiveadjective
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reattestverb (used with object)
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attestatornoun
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attestationnoun
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attestornoun
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attestableadjective
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unattestedadjective
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well-attestedadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has attestedperfect 3rd person singular
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have attestedperfect
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have been attestingperfect progressive
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is attestingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been attestingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are attestingprogressive
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am attestingprogressive 1st person singular
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attestingparticiple
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attestssingular 3rd person
Past
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had attestedperfect
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were attestingprogressive plural
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had been attestingperfect progressive
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attestedparticiple
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was attestingprogressive singular
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attestedsimple
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.
Aging affects all of us, and both authors attest to the fact that it’s become a billion-dollar industry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Reed was capable of this kind of transformation whenever he was inspired by greatness, which was often, though as any reviewer can attest, not often enough.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
Hugo and his fellow Year 10 French students can attest to the success of this method.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
It isn’t that “V-shaped” rebounds like what investors just witnessed don’t happen — they clearly do, as anybody who held on through last April’s tariff tantrum can no doubt attest.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
In fact, although I couldn’t attest any of it to three decimal places, I had a pretty good notion of the weather conditions generally, on account of I was out in them.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
