testify
Americanverb (used without object)
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testifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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testified,
past participle, past
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testifying
present participle
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to bear witness; give or afford evidence.
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Law. to give testimony under oath or solemn affirmation, usually in court.
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to make solemn declaration.
verb (used with object)
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testifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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testified,
past participle, past
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testifying
present participle
-
to bear witness to; affirm as fact or truth; attest.
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to give or afford evidence of in any manner.
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Law. to state or declare under oath or affirmation, usually in court.
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to declare, profess, or acknowledge openly.
verb
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to state (something) formally as a declaration of fact
I testify that I know nothing about him
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law to declare or give (evidence) under oath, esp in court
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to be evidence (of); serve as witness (to)
the money testified to his good faith
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(tr) to declare or acknowledge openly
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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testificationnoun
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testifiernoun
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retestifyverb
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pretestifyverb (used with object)
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untestifyingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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testifysimple
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testifiessimple
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have testifiedperfect
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has testifiedperfect
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am testifyingprogressive
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are testifyingprogressive
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is testifyingprogressive
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have been testifyingperfect progressive
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has been testifyingperfect progressive
Past
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testifiedsimple
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had testifiedperfect
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was testifyingprogressive
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were testifyingprogressive
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had been testifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of testify
1350–1400; Middle English testifyen < Latin testificārī to bear witness, equivalent to testi ( s ) witness + -ficārī -fy
Explanation
To testify is to make a statement or provide evidence, usually in court. Witnesses testify for the prosecution or defense. If you've ever seen a TV show about lawyers, you've probably seen someone testifying: putting their hand on the Bible, sitting in the witness seat, and telling what they know about a case. Testifying is serious business, but it doesn't always happen in court: If someone knows you're good at math, they can testify to your math skills. Or if you've been to a restaurant, you can testify to your friends that it has awesome desserts.
Vocabulary lists containing testify
Holes
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman?" (1863)
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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:
Blacknell also noted that prosecutors failed to call any medical experts to testify whether the crash could be linked to bi-polar disorder.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Sentenced to 72 years in prison, he didn’t testify at Walters’ trial.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
The case goes to a congressional hearing, where Road Runner bursts into the room and becomes the only creature to testify on Coyote’s behalf.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
The proposed rule change led to a groundswell of opposition from some firefighters, who travelled to the state capital to testify about how it has improved their health.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Ms. Ofrah arranged for me to do an interview with one of the national news programs today—exactly a week before I testify before the grand jury next Monday.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
But this week, as Warsh testifies before Congress for the first time as Fed chair, he will go before an audience of lawmakers who will want answers.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
Congress will also get its first chance to publicly question administration officials under oath about the war when Army Secretary Dan Driscoll testifies before the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday.
From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 2026
She doesn’t need to describe herself as compassionate; a decade of street art dedicated to dignity, immigration and queer survival already testifies to that commitment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026
Terrorist boasting testifies to our own moral decline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
Covering more than fifty encryption systems, the book testifies to the doggedness and ingenuity of Elizebeth and her team.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
"They took our sons from our lives forever," said Debra Robinson, who testified on the final day of the trial.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Maryana Khames testified before legislators about the pitfalls of the old system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
That prompted the judge to hold hearings where key players in Krasner’s office testified about what went wrong.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Shane Brickley, a property owner in Lone Pine Canyon, testified in support of the project, saying he hoped it would create jobs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Meanwhile, other parts of the city were constantly enveloped in construction projects, which testified to the continued wealth and vitality of the state.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
“I cried about it then, and I am still completely devastated,” she added, testifying from the student union building that has long been the campus hub for protest and advocacy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The complainant said in a statement to Canadian broadcaster CBC that the trial was dismissed because she is "unwilling to sacrifice my mental health" by testifying.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
At one point, the video feed in the overflow room was shut down after someone violated the court rules and snapped pictures of a cooperating witness testifying that later circulated on social media.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
In recent days Meta, which has more than three billion users around the world, tried to block ex-Meta employee and expert witness, Arturo Bejar, from testifying.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
No glowing quotations from his clients, testifying to his genius.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
