attest
Americanverb (used with object)
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to bear witness to; certify; declare to be correct, true, or genuine; declare the truth of, in words or writing, especially to affirm in an official capacity.
to attest the truth of a statement.
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to give proof or evidence of; manifest.
His works attest his industry.
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Linguistics. to give evidence of the existence of (a word, phrase, usage, etc.), especially in writing: The dictionary attests this meaning as early as 1890.
The plural form is attested in ancient texts.
The dictionary attests this meaning as early as 1890.
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to put on oath.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
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(tr) to affirm the correctness or truth of
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to witness (an act, event, etc) or bear witness to (an act, event, etc) as by signature or oath
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(tr) to make evident; demonstrate
his life of luxury attests his wealth
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(tr) to provide evidence for
the marks in the ground attested the presence of a fossil
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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attestantnoun
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attestationnoun
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attestatornoun
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attesternoun
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attestornoun
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reattestverb (used with object)
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attestableadjective
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attestiveadjective
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unattestedadjective
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well-attestedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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attestsimple
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attestssimple
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have attestedperfect
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has attestedperfect
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am attestingprogressive
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are attestingprogressive
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is attestingprogressive
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have been attestingperfect progressive
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has been attestingperfect progressive
Past
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attestedsimple
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had attestedperfect
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was attestingprogressive
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were attestingprogressive
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had been attestingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of attest
First recorded in 1590–1600; < Middle French attester, from Latin attestārī “to bear witness to, affirm, confirm” equivalent to at- at- + testārī “to witness” ( see testis ( def. ))
Explanation
To attest is to prove or declare to be true. For example: the fact that you aced the SAT attests to the strength of your vocabulary. Attest and testify come from the same Latin word testari, which means "to declare." Although both words are kind of formal, you often testify in a courtroom, but attest doesn't require a court of law to function. You can attest to anything — that the funny looking shoes toned your thighs, that what someone says is true, or that the new acne medicine really works. To remember it, think of when you pass a test, you attest that you know the material.
Vocabulary lists containing attest
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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Posted
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The Ancient Period, Before 600 BCE
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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:
"People who know me will attest I'm a little fond of football," the Pope said at the mass.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
As anyone who has been on social media can attest, this was a mistake.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
But the world, as any scientist probing into the atomic level can attest, contains more secrets than meets the eye.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
I don’t know Justice Thomas, but all who do attest to the man’s cheerfulness and affability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
The voting was absolutely free, as Aureliano himself was able to attest since he spent almost the entire day with his father-in-law seeing that no one voted more than once.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Shew said he’s only supposed to be given registrations to process if the would-be voter attests they are a U.S. citizen, as federal law requires.
From Salon ● May 14, 2026
"Belen Garijo's brilliant international career attests to her strategic vision and her ability to drive profound and value-creating transformations," board chairman Frederic Oudea said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
But surely the passage attests to attitude, not practice, for could Marcus have really eschewed bodyguards?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
As the ending of the musical attests, there may be a way to do both, to be politically engaged and still enjoy the beauty of the world around you.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
Gorgias’s brother Herodicus is a doctor, and the former attests that when trying to persuade a patient to submit to a course of treatment, his oratory is far more effective than his brother’s medical expertise.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
They must be segregated from issuer assets, independently attested and subject to federal supervision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
She did all this, he continued, “while enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles, as attested to by her frequent posting on her recently deleted Instagram account.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
But her gifts were entirely her own, as attested to by this 20-disc collection of Deutsche Grammophon recordings, including her complete recitals for the label.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
More than 1,000 people attested to their losses after investing with GPB, according to federal prosecutors who described the victims as “hardworking, everyday people.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025
But other times, the children had known love and lost it, and as the boy himself had attested, that hole where love had once lived was immense.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
“Where we don’t have research, clinical trials, what we’ve got a ton of, is, shall we say, testimonials, patient affidavits, attesting to the wonders of the drug,” said Scott Brunner, the alliance’s chief executive officer.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026
"Then, the video attesting to the truth would be shown," she says.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026
Environmentalists welcomed the shutdown as good news attesting to the country's plan to quit coal mining by 2030, when the last brown coal mine is due to close.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
Cash transactions are banned, and businesses must obtain signed affidavits from sellers attesting where the metal was obtained and keep copies of photo IDs and license-plate numbers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
Kamen reached out to Lawrence for a deposition attesting to his loyalty, of which Lawrence in fact had no doubt.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
