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:
Myanmar is now facing a landmark genocide case at the International Court of Justice, which saw deposed leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi testify.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Two other alleged co-conspirators, Keith Jones and Kacey “OTF Jam” Hester, have taken plea deals and are set to testify against Banks, Weiner told jurors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
The stories of both songs testify powerfully to Ms. Celenza’s argument that music can deliver political effects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
He was there to testify to his ability to do so, and he provided yet another spectacle.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
So Cowell went on to extend his definition of evidence: in a trial, he says, the accused is called on to testify.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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
The number of social-media groups and threads predicated on the opinion that Bowlero/Lucky Strike absolutely sucks testifies to the number of both serious bowlers and casual enthusiasts who see the corporation as an invasive rot.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 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
“Once the defendant testifies, all bets are off,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025
That landscape testifies to the population densities achieved in the highlands by farmers with stone tools.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
"I've said some stupid things, but sometimes you have to shake the internet to get noticed," he testified about his online statements, according to CBS.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Clancy's family, including her former mother-in-law and husband, have testified about her mental state leading up to the deaths.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
“The Navy wanted from the Italians all the pictures they could possibly get of every port of Sicily, of every channel,” Meyer Lansky, another notorious gangster, later testified.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Ladd testified that although he got an MGM Mike Tyson fight ticket from Suge Knight’s home, he found no proof in all his searches that Davis was in Las Vegas during the shooting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
More significantly, Ikner testified that he'd been asked by Pearson, the trial prosecutor, to testify that Morrison's body had been dragged through the store from the front counter to the spot where it was found.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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
After Trujillo finished testifying, prosecutors played a video of his earlier sworn statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
At a time when Black people were often prohibited from testifying in court, habeas became a vehicle by which they could testify to the facts underlying their claims.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, testifying Tuesday on Capitol Hill, estimated the Iran war has already cost $37.5 billion.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 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.
