perjury

[ pur-juh-ree ]

/ ˈpɜr dʒə ri /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR perjury ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural per·ju·ries. Law.

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

Nearby words

periwig chair, periwinkle, perjink, perjure, perjured, perjury, perk, perk up, perkin, perkin's mauve, perkins

Origin of perjury

1250–1300; Middle English perjurie < Anglo-French < Latin perjūrium, equivalent to perjūr(us) swearing falsely (see perjure) + -ium -ium; replacing parjure < Old French < Latin as above

Related forms

per·ju·ri·ous

[per-joo r-ee-uh s] /pərˈdʒʊər i əs/, adjectiveper·ju·ri·ous·ly, adverbper·ju·ri·ous·ness, nounnon·per·ju·ry, noun, plural non·per·ju·ries.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for perjury

The charges included corruption, perjury, bid-fixing and fraud.
Madonna, Carla Bruni & Obama Abandoned Pledges To Rebuild L'Aquila After The Quake|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then, after the headlines came out, the sources recanted, and they have since been convicted (in Syrian courts) of perjury.
Digital Doublethink: Playing Truth or Dare with Putin, Assad and ISIS|Christopher Dickey, Anna Nemtsova|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The woman was acquitted of perjury, which could have landed the mother of three 15 years in jail.
The Democrats' Katherine Harris Strategy|Patricia Murphy|September 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was convicted of perjury, served 30 days, and went back to a swashbuckling career in contraband.
The Weirdest Story About a Conservative Obsession, a Convicted Bomber, and Taylor Swift You Have Ever Read|David Weigel|August 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“It boiled down to a perjury charge,” he tells The Daily Beast.
The Banks’ War on Porn Stars|Richard Abowitz, Marlow Stern|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Or, this affirmation you make and give upon the peril of the penalty of perjury.
A short history of Rhode Island|George Washington Greene
Your application is to have her committed for perjury, of course?
The Queen of Hearts|Wilkie Collins
Men were put in the pillory for perjury, libel, and the like.
Lord John Russell|Stuart J. Reid
He admits that every store-keeper would be guilty of perjury every time he made a report.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 10 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
As he had not been put upon his oath, he had not been guilty of perjury; he was discharged amidst the hootings of the mob.
Tales And Novels, Volume 9 (of 10)|Maria Edgeworth

British Dictionary definitions for perjury

perjury

/ (ˈpɜːdʒərɪ) /

noun plural -juries

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

Derived Forms

perjurious (pɜːˈdʒʊərɪəs), adjectiveperjuriously, adverb

Word Origin for perjury

C14: from Anglo-French parjurie, from Latin perjūrium a false oath; see perjure

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012