testify

[ tes-tuh-fahy ]

/ ˈtɛs təˌfaɪ /

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See synonyms for: testify / testifier on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), tes·ti·fied, tes·ti·fy·ing.

to bear witness; give or afford evidence.

Law. to give testimony under oath or solemn affirmation, usually in court.

to make solemn declaration.

verb (used with object), tes·ti·fied, tes·ti·fy·ing.

to bear witness to; affirm as fact or truth; attest.

to give or afford evidence of in any manner.

Law. to state or declare under oath or affirmation, usually in court.

to declare, profess, or acknowledge openly.

OTHER WORDS FOR testify

5 indicate, show, signify, prove.

See synonyms for testify on Thesaurus.com

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of testify

1350–1400; Middle English testifyen<Latin testificārī to bear witness, equivalent to testi(s) witness + -ficārī-fy

OTHER WORDS FROM testify

tes·ti·fi·er, nounpre·tes·ti·fy, verb (used with object), pre·tes·ti·fied, pre·tes·ti·fy·ing.re·tes·ti·fy, verb, re·tes·ti·fied, re·tes·ti·fy·ing.un·tes·ti·fy·ing, adjective

Words nearby testify

test-fly, testicle, testicular, testiculate, testification, testify, testimonial, testimonialize, testimony, testimony meeting, testing station

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use testify in a sentence

He said the then- secretary testified to a House committee that, in 2017, DHS had prevented 3,755 KSTs from traveling to or entering the US, even though the real number was no more than three.
What to make of the DHS whistleblower’s shocking complaint|Alex Ward|September 11, 2020|Vox
Coming out still takes courage, as many a teenager can testify.
LGBTQ: The letters Republicans didn’t utter|Hans Johnson|September 11, 2020|Washington Blade
Singer, who has also pleaded guilty, was expected to testify against them if they had gone to trial.
Lori Loughlin gets two months in prison after judge accepts plea deal in college bribery scandal|radmarya|August 21, 2020|Fortune
This will be the first time that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the world’s wealthiest individual, will be testifying before Congress.
Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook set to preview antitrust defenses before Congress|Greg Sterling|July 28, 2020|Search Engine Land

Under the reigning interpretation of American antitrust law, the executives who testify this week have little to fear from lawmakers or regulators.
The case for regulating Amazon just like a railroad|Nicolás Rivero|July 28, 2020|Quartz
Dean Sybil Todd passed away from pancreatic cancer before she could testify.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, he barely pushed the jurors to charge the cop and allowed the unprecedented step of letting the officer testify.
Prosecutor Used Grand Jury to Let Darren Wilson Walk|Tom Nolan|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The lady who Goldberg is referring to is Barbara Bowman, one of the victims who agreed to testify in the 2006 case.
The Bill Cosby Controversy Stages of Grief|Amy Zimmerman|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We were looking at 10 men with rifles, and then the beating began,” the survivor would later testify.
Mexico’s First Lady of Murder Is on the Lam|Michael Daly|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He became determined to locate other victims who would testify to abuses that could put Lebovits behind bars.
The Orthodox Sex Abuse Crackdown That Wasn’t|Emily Shire|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For her to testify that she did not love—and had never loved Jean Baptiste, he knew would be a deliberate falsehood.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
And then today—yesterday you reached your climax by having me go on the stand and testify to a greater lie!
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
And how would the general confederation testify to a glorious work of reformation!
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
Nor was Africa then, without the evidence of industry, as history will testify.
The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States|Martin R. Delany
Growers of Havana tobacco in the Connecticut valley can testify to this, and especially to the increased size of the plants.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.

British Dictionary definitions for testify

testify

/ (ˈtɛstɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied

(when tr, may take a clause as object) to state (something) formally as a declaration of factI testify that I know nothing about him

law to declare or give (evidence) under oath, esp in court

(when intr, often foll by to) to be evidence (of); serve as witness (to)the money testified to his good faith

(tr) to declare or acknowledge openly

Derived forms of testify

testification, nountestifier, noun

Word Origin for testify

C14: from Latin testificārī, from testis witness

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

testify

OTHER WORDS FOR testify

Origin of testify

OTHER WORDS FROM testify

Words nearby testify

Words related to testify

How to use testify in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for testify

Derived forms of testify

Word Origin for testify