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.

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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

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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

Their mortgage payments were split proportionally to take into account their differing salaries, and the arrangements detailed in a declaration of trust so they would be protected when they came to sell.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

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

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

That debate over the declaration helped engender the equal citizenship amendments added to the 1789 Constitution at the Civil War’s end—specifically, as the Supreme Court recounts, in the 14th Amendment’s first sentence repudiating Dred Scott.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

Tenisha’s complaint also seeks a declaration confirming the validity of her premarital agreement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

It wasn’t a question, really, and the declaration cleared my own doubt.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

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

Dwr Cymru Welsh Water emphasised that NRW's drought declarations were different to its own announcements.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

This historical lesson may appear counterintuitive to modern instincts: Authority doesn’t always manifest through overt public declarations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

At first glance, these expressions might seem triumphalist declarations that link the nation’s success over the past 250 years with Christian faith.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026

She was taking these steps, making declarations, trying to rebuild herself just as she was remaking the house with the hornet’s nests the size of basketballs.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel