perjury
Americannoun
plural
perjuriesnoun
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing perjury
The Crucible
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You Be the Judge: Jud, Jur, Jus
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A Web of Lies
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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.
Louisiana Attorney General Murrill threatened to charge Duncan with perjury for describing himself as exonerated because he had pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
From Slate • May 5, 2026
City Councilman Curren Price to trial on embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest charges.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 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
Neylan originally opposed Sproul’s version of the oath, on the curious grounds that it would simply encourage its targets—the radicals assumed to be swarming over the university—to commit perjury.
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.
