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
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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)
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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:
Kennedy goes to great pains to declare that Róisín isn't her and she's not Róisín, "but there are similarities".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 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
The board didn’t declare an interim dividend in 1H, a surprise given that the stock is largely held for its yield, the analysts say in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Aunt Goldie said, “And let us eat this magnificent dinner that Goldie Shuggars has made! Glory, hallelujah! I declare, she has knocked herself out!”
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
In 2022, she released the smoky electro-pop, queer anthem “Boyfriend,” which reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the theatrical “Breakfast,” a man-eater melody that declares she’s in charge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
At the Philadelphia Museum, an early wall label declares “artists are everywhere among us.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 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
"One in the eye for Andy" declares the Sun, following a meeting between Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron at the British Museum on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
“We have to leave now, Zeta-1,” he declares.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
The last critical incident declared in Scotland was due to an IT fault at NHS Highland in June 2025.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Writer Nora Ephron wasn’t embarrassed when in 2002 she declared in the New Yorker, “The hot pastrami sandwich served at Langer’s Delicatessen in downtown Los Angeles is the finest hot pastrami sandwich in the world.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Noel Tata has declared the vote illegal, a stance the board disputes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
NHS Grampian says conditions are improving after it declared a critical incident over "extreme pressure" on A&E services in two hospitals.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
He arrived within the hour but declared the situation well in hand and went out for a stroll and a cigar.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Days of almost continuous heavy rains have caused widespread flooding in the Thai capital, with the city's governor declaring it a disaster-affected zone.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
In 2002, the commission released its report, declaring that the museum “requires what its own leadership has described as a ‘transformation.’
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
PRS Chief Executive Jack Higginbotham credited Dalporto for planting a “flag in the ground” by declaring the stores would be for serious musicians, after years of becoming known for what he called cheap stuff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
And they have been doing this without publicly declaring anything.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
As it turned out, Enstice had a history of prematurely and incorrectly declaring deaths to be homicides without adequate supporting evidence.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
