testify
Americanverb (used without object)
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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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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
- pretestify verb (used with object)
- retestify verb
- testification noun
- testifier noun
- untestifying adjective
Etymology
Origin of testify
1350–1400; Middle English testifyen < Latin testificārī to bear witness, equivalent to testi ( s ) witness + -ficārī -fy
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.
Long Beach police Officer Robert Cruz on Monday was testifying in the trial and made a brief mention of hearing about a Monterey Park officer in the case, but was cut off by Deputy Dist.
From Los Angeles Times
Alliance lawyers said during those proceedings that they wanted Bass and two council members to testify.
From Los Angeles Times
“If the Councilman voted on something that was a potential conflict, he did so without knowing,” Alcaraz testified Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times
Representative Andrew Garbarino of New York, the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, called on the heads of ICE and other agencies to testify before Congress.
From BBC
A landmark social media addiction trial in which top tech executives are expected to testify begins on Tuesday in California.
From BBC
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.
