declaration

American  

[dek-luh-rey-shuhn] / ˌdɛk ləˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

• declarations
  plural

1. the act of declaring; announcement.

   a declaration of a dividend.

2. a positive, explicit, or formal statement; proclamation.

   a declaration of war.

3. something that is announced, avowed, or proclaimed.

4. a document embodying or displaying an announcement or proclamation.

   He posted the declaration in a public place.

   Synonyms:

   edict, manifesto, bulletin, notice

5. Law.

   1. a formal statement presenting the plaintiff's claim in an action.

   2. a complaint.

   3. a statement, especially by a witness.

   4. a statement made to an official.

6. Cards.

   1. Bridge. a bid, especially the successful bid.

   2. the statement during the game of the points earned by a player, in bezique or other games.

7. a statement of goods, income, etc., especially for the assessment of duty, tax, or the like.

---

declaration British  

/ ˌdɛkləˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. an explicit or emphatic statement

2. a formal statement or announcement; proclamation

3. the act of declaring

4. the ruling of a judge or court on a question of law, esp in the chancery division of the High Court

5. law an unsworn statement of a witness admissible in evidence under certain conditions See also statutory declaration

6. cricket the voluntary closure of an innings before all ten wickets have fallen

7. contract bridge the final contract

8. a statement or inventory of goods, etc, submitted for tax assessment

   a customs declaration

9. cards an announcement of points made after taking a trick, as in bezique

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counterdeclaration
  noun
• nondeclaration
  noun
• predeclaration
  noun
• redeclaration
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• declarations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of declaration

1300–50; Middle English declaracioun (< Anglo-French ) < Latin dēclārātiōn- (stem of dēclārātiō ) explanation, equivalent to dēclārāt ( us ) (past participle of dēclārāre to explain, declare; see -ate ¹) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

An emphatic statement — either written or spoken — is called a declaration. The Continental Congress announced their intention to form a new nation when they wrote the Declaration of Independence. To declare is a verb, but when you add the suffix tion, you transform it to a noun. A formal public statement can be called a declaration. You would be making a formal declaration of your love, if you paid to have "I Love You, Alex" put on the big screen at the game. When you travel, you may need to make a declaration — a formal statement — about any taxable items you purchased outside the country when you return.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

declaration declarations

Bougatef's declaration, which came in what is called a Section 5 report, set in motion a process that could see outside intervention in the wake of no solution.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Citing dangerously dry brush conditions, the City Council approved the declaration this week to reduce the risk of fires associated with homeless individuals cooking outdoors or using fire to keep warm at night.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

He has promised assistance to Ukraine but avoided signing a formal declaration of support in the war.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

The lawsuit seeks reinstatement, damages and a declaration that the college acted unlawfully.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

The next morning the matchmaker made her proud declaration in front of Tyan-yu, his parents, and myself.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

“Doctors can’t make definitive declarations about legal capacity, but they can share important medical insights about your loved one’s cognitive condition, mental status and ability to understand information.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

No declarations about what time he would run or what record he would beat.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

Federal judges have found that the government filed statements generated by artificial intelligence that referenced nonexistent case law, wrote briefs that ignored facts and filed declarations with inaccurate dates, the ProPublica review shows.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

They are legal filings, but they are also declarations or pleas to a judge: The government simply cannot keep this person locked away or trapped in servitude.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Such grandiose declarations were commonplace during Ceaujescu’s reign, for his master plan—to create a nation worthy of the New Socialist Man—was an exercise in grandiosity.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt