declare
Americanverb (used with object)
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declares,
present (3rd person singular)
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declared,
past participle, past
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declaring
present participle
-
to make known or state clearly, especially in explicit or formal terms.
to declare one's position in a controversy.
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to announce officially; proclaim.
to declare a state of emergency; to declare a winner.
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to state emphatically.
He declared that the allegation was a lie.
- Synonyms:
- state, asseverate, aver
- Antonyms:
- deny
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to manifest; reveal; show.
Her attendance at the rally declared her political allegiance.
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to make due statement of, especially goods for duty or income for taxation.
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to make (a dividend) payable.
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Bridge. to bid (a trump suit or no-trump).
verb (used without object)
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declares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
declared,
past participle, past
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declaring
present participle
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to make a declaration.
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to proclaim oneself (usually followed by for oragainst ).
He declared against the proposal.
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Cricket. (of a team) to surrender a turn at bat in an innings before ten players are put out.
verb
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(may take a clause as object) to make clearly known or announce officially
to declare one's interests
war was declared
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to state officially that (a person, fact, etc) is as specified
he declared him fit
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(may take a clause as object) to state emphatically; assert
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to show, reveal, or manifest
the heavens declare the glory of God
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(intr; often foll by for or against) to make known one's choice or opinion
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to make a complete statement of (dutiable goods, etc)
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(also intr) cards
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to display (a card or series of ards) on the table so as to add to one's score
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to decide (the trump suit) by making the final bid
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(intr) cricket to close an innings voluntarily before all ten wickets have fallen
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to authorize the payment of (a dividend) from corporate net profit
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
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misdeclareverb
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predeclareverb (used with object)
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redeclareverb (used with object)
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declarableadjective
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undeclarableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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declaresimple
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declaressimple
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have declaredperfect
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has declaredperfect
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am declaringprogressive
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are declaringprogressive
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is declaringprogressive
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have been declaringperfect progressive
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has been declaringperfect progressive
Past
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declaredsimple
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had declaredperfect
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was declaringprogressive
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were declaringprogressive
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had been declaringperfect progressive
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.
Vocabulary lists containing declare
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 4
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
Then, on Dec. 3, Secretary of State Michael Watson is scheduled to declare the statewide general election results.
From Slate ● Nov. 12, 2026
Here’s how it works: To disclaim interest, the Major League Baseball Players Association would declare that it was no longer representing the players as a union and instead reconstitute as a trade association.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
Responding to a question over why he would not officially declare an end to the war, Trump said that some of the Gulf allies could still face Iranian aggression.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026
Although the new findings represent a major achievement, physicists have not yet reached the threshold required to declare a confirmed observation.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 10, 2026
Male chimps cannot gather in a constitutional assembly to abolish the office of alpha male and declare that from here on out all chimps are to be treated as equals.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
“Toni was the funniest girl in the damn world,” he declares during our interview.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026
“Nobody embraced ’90s minimalism like the art world,” Zerger declares.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026
The big-box warehouse chain declares a special cash dividend of $30 a share, showing why it’s ‘a high-quality, defensive compounder.’
From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026
He and Sheléa double-team “Still Within the Sound of My Voice,” which Mr. Webb declares “an impossible song to sing.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Garrett’s examining a Pac-Man console, and declares it lame.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Faisal went further and declared an embargo, meaning a halt of all oil exports, against countries that supported Israel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026
On Tuesday night, a few hours before El-Sayed declared victory, a newly elected Alawieh stood before his family in Dearborn’s Byblos Banquet Center and declared, “We’re making history.”
From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2026
She declared a local emergency on homelessness on her first day in office and soon afterward launched Inside Safe, which moves homeless people into hotels, motels and other forms of temporary housing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026
"This is an encouraging moment for Kenya and for Africa. We must sustain surveillance and vigilance until the outbreak is officially declared over," Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya posted on X.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
“There can be no justification or military grounds for refusing any further to employ what promises to be our most effective weapon,” Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz declared.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
These hangouts combine viral admin nights, where friends get together to complete tasks they’ve been putting off, with loud budgeting, the concept of declaring your financial limits out loud to your friends and family.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 10, 2026
Horvath filed paperwork declaring her candidacy on Monday, checking the box for “nonpartisan” but providing little additional information.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026
The building is already decked out with posters declaring Pope Leo is welcome in Argentina.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
It seems that whenever bonds sell off, there is a proliferation of takes declaring the demise of the 60-40 portfolio.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Lillian refused to drive the car, declaring that she felt like a moving advertisement for a Lon Chaney movie.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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