perjury

American  

[pur-juh-ree] / ˈpɜr dʒə ri /

noun

Law.

plural

perjuries

1. the willful giving of false testimony under oath or affirmation, before a competent tribunal, upon a point material to a legal inquiry.

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perjury British  

/ ˈpɜːdʒərɪ, pɜːˈdʒʊərɪəs /

noun

1. criminal law the offence committed by a witness in judicial proceedings who, having been lawfully sworn or having affirmed, wilfully gives false evidence

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Other Word Forms

• nonperjury
  noun
• perjurious
  adjective
• perjuriously
  adverb
• perjuriousness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of perjury

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English perjurie, from Anglo-French, from Latin perjūrium, from perjūr(us) “swearing falsely” ( see perjure) + -ium -ium; replacing parjure, from Old French, from Latin, as above

Explanation

Perjury is the act of deliberately lying under oath. A defendant in a murder trial commits perjury when he swears he never met the murder victim before, even though he had a two-year relationship with her. Although the word perjury contains jury, members of the jury aren't likely to commit perjury, because they're not under oath and haven't sworn to be truthful. A witness in a trial can commit perjury by willfully lying about facts related to the case. Perjury isn't just a little white lie. It's a crime that can land the person who commits it in jail.

Example Sentences

The state does require ID when registering to vote, and residents must swear under penalty of perjury that they are eligible to vote and they are a U.S. citizen.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Ex-interior minister Lee Sang-min has been sentenced to seven years in prison, while former spy chief Cho Tae-yong is standing trial on charges including dereliction of duty and perjury.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

Bennett Gershman, a professor at Pace University’s Elisabeth Haub School of Law, said that proving Bondi committed perjury would “depend on the evidence and whether it is reliable.”

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2026

That actually takes this beyond Judge Boasberg’s saga, because this seems to involve cut-and-dry, eminently demonstrable perjury.

From Slate • Dec. 20, 2025

"Well, you've indicted someone for perjury for contradicting the state's case. Do you intend to prosecute everyone who challenges the evidence in this case?"

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• deception
• dishonesty
• falsehood
• falsification