Synonyms

declare

American

[dih-klair] / dɪˈklɛər /

verb (used with object)

to make known or state clearly, especially in explicit or formal terms.

to declare one's position in a controversy.
to announce officially; proclaim.

to declare a state of emergency; to declare a winner.
to state emphatically.

He declared that the allegation was a lie.

Synonyms:

state, asseverate, aver

Antonyms:

deny
to manifest; reveal; show.

Her attendance at the rally declared her political allegiance.

Synonyms:

publish, disclose
to make due statement of, especially goods for duty or income for taxation.
to make (a dividend) payable.
Bridge. to bid (a trump suit or no-trump).

verb (used without object)

to make a declaration.
to proclaim oneself (usually followed by for oragainst ).

He declared against the proposal.
Cricket. (of a team) to surrender a turn at bat in an innings before ten players are put out.

declare British

/ dɪˈklɛə /

verb

(may take a clause as object) to make clearly known or announce officially

to declare one's interests
war was declared
to state officially that (a person, fact, etc) is as specified

he declared him fit
(may take a clause as object) to state emphatically; assert
to show, reveal, or manifest

the heavens declare the glory of God
(intr; often foll by for or against) to make known one's choice or opinion
to make a complete statement of (dutiable goods, etc)
(also intr) cards
1. to display (a card or series of ards) on the table so as to add to one's score
2. to decide (the trump suit) by making the final bid
(intr) cricket to close an innings voluntarily before all ten wickets have fallen
to authorize the payment of (a dividend) from corporate net profit

"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

Synonym Usage

Declare, affirm, assert, protest imply making something known emphatically, openly, or formally. To declare is to make known, sometimes in the face of actual or potential contradiction: to declare someone the winner of a contest. To affirm is to make a statement based on one's reputation for knowledge or veracity, or so related to a generally recognized truth that denial is not likely: to affirm the necessity of high standards. To assert is to state boldly, usually without other proof than personal authority or conviction: to assert that the climate is changing. To protest is to affirm publicly, as if in the face of doubt: to protest that a newspaper account is misleading.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of declare

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English declaren, from Latin dēclārāre “to announce, make evident, reveal,” from dē- de- + clārāre “to make clear” (from clārus clear )

Explanation

If you declare victory, you are ending a war by saying you have won. Hopefully, the other side agrees, or your troops might declare you a fool. To declare is to state clearly and officially. In elections, the government body that counts the votes declares the winner. Until the declaration is made, the results are not official. When you are traveling, you might be asked if you have anything to declare. You're not being asked for a statement of your beliefs, rather they want to know if you bought anything taxable abroad. If you hear your grandmother say, "Well, I declare!" you can be sure she is shocked and offended.

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Vocabulary lists containing declare

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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:

declare declares declared declaring

He has yet to officially declare a run for the presidency, but is already on the road rallying support.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Losses to agriculture, transport and insurance – with many other businesses and services closed – could lead Canada, Mexico and most Caribbean and Central American countries to declare states of emergency.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

"A new group of shareholders might say, 'Don't declare dividends; we need to reinvest this money in the companies.' What happens then? The first casualty will be the hospitals they run," said Potdar.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

On Tuesday, locals filed into the parish hall to vote on whether their village should symbolically declare independence from the U.K., a move they hope will call attention to their plight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

They tie nkisis of leaves around their wrists and declare themselves impermeable to bullets, immune to death.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

A poem declares that “love is like a clasp of jade.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

“Light offshore wind. Clean, glassy barrels,” he declares softly to the camera as gray waves break behind him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

If the jury does not reach a verdict and Judge Sullivan declares a mistrial, prosecutors would need to decide whether to retry the case.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

If they cannot agree, the judge declares a mistrial and prosecutors must decide whether to try the case again with a new jury.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

It isn't until 1800 that an Austrian doctor named Franz Josef Gall declares that the brain is the seat of the intelligence, the emotions, and the will.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Gov. Gavin Newsom last month declared a state of emergency, saying he wanted to mobilize state resources to “prepare for El Niño’s anticipated impacts, like strong storms and coastal flooding.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

A major incident was declared and dozens of homes were evacuated after police were alerted to three "suspicious vehicles" near the airbase.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

And: “If your son died, became disabled, divorced or declared bankruptcy and could no longer afford to pay the mortgage, what would happen to you then?”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Since then, they have regularly targeted oil and military installations in Saudi Arabia and have declared a maritime blockade on its ships.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

“Oh, yes,” Handsome declared, now getting carried away with his show of gratitude.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

The front page of the Daily Star carries a number of spoilers from the first episode of the new series of The Celebrity Traitors, declaring that it contains the "biggest ever show blunder".

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Bass promised to address homelessness in her 2022 campaign, declaring a state of emergency on her first day in office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Local media on Wednesday broadcast a video purporting to show Marset on the day of his arrest declaring: "Mariaca is my friend."

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Trump lavished praise on Xi and gave him a bald eagle statue, declaring the two had “never gotten along better.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

By unanimous vote, my brothers and I retired the Fentress Firefly Prize at bedtime, declaring the season of 1899 officially over.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

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