perjure

American  

[pur-jer] / ˈpɜr dʒər /

verb (used with object)

perjured, perjuring

1. to render (oneself ) guilty of swearing falsely or of willfully making a false statement under oath or solemn affirmation.

   The witness perjured herself when she denied knowing the defendant.

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perjure British  

/ ˈpɜːdʒə /

verb

1. (tr) criminal law to render (oneself) guilty of perjury

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Other Word Forms

• perjurement noun
• perjurer noun
• unperjuring adjective

Etymology

Origin of perjure

First recorded in 1475–85; from Latin perjūrāre “to swear falsely,” from per- “through,” i.e., “beyond the limits” ( per- ) + jūrāre “to swear,” literally, “to be at law” (derivative of jūs jus ¹ ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

Jones on Tuesday called Bellis a tyrant and said she would be forcing him to perjure himself and say “that I’m guilty and to say that I’m a liar.”

From Seattle Times • Sep. 21, 2022

“If the president were to perjure himself, tamper with witness testimony or corruptly destroy evidence, then such actions would violate well-established law,” the memo stated.

From New York Times • Aug. 24, 2022

And she said it was "utterly absurd" to suggest that nine women "could be persuaded to lie to the police, to perjure themselves in court".

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2021

Gleeson argued that Flynn did perjure himself, but that this should factor into his sentencing and not be the basis for an additional charge.

From Fox News • Jun. 10, 2020

His sincere desire, and honest endeavour, to perjure himself, were baffled by a circumstance he had never foreseen nor indeed thought possible.

From The Cloister and the Hearth A Tale of the Middle Ages by Reade, Charles