testimony
Americannoun
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Law. the statement or declaration of a witness under oath or affirmation, usually in court.
- Synonyms:
- attestation, deposition
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evidence in support of a fact or statement; proof.
- Synonyms:
- corroboration
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open declaration or profession, as of faith.
- Synonyms:
- affirmation
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Usually testimonies. the precepts of God.
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the Decalogue as inscribed on the two tablets of the law, or the ark in which the tablets were kept. Exodus 16:34; 25:16.
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Archaic. a declaration of disapproval; protest.
noun
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a declaration of truth or fact
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law evidence given by a witness, esp orally in court under oath or affirmation
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evidence testifying to something
her success was a testimony to her good luck
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Old Testament
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the Ten Commandments, as inscribed on the two stone tables
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the Ark of the Covenant as the receptacle of these (Exodus 25:16; 16:34)
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Synonym Usage
See evidence.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of testimony
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin testimōnium, equivalent to testi(s) “witness” + -mōnium noun suffix; see -mony
Explanation
When you give testimony you are telling what you saw or what you know. Your testimony that your hand was not in the cookie jar goes against the testimony of several eyewitnesses. The Latin root for testimony is testis, meaning “ witness.” “Eye witness testimony” is a phrase you will hear often in legal discussions. An object can also give testimony, without speaking of course: "The statue they built of you outside the bowling alley offers testimony to your greatness."
Vocabulary lists containing testimony
The Emancipation Proclamation (1862)
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John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
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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:
The newspaper had challenged the government requests for phone records of reporters and grand jury testimony as an attempt to "intimidate" the press and filed a motion to have them quashed.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Bennett relied on Baby O's neonatal notes as well as testimony from a police interview with the baby's mother about the infant's birth.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
During morning testimony, an Interscope Records executive said Burke stood to make up to $19 million if the label picked up options for several future records, in addition to branding deals with clothing companies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Two concurring justices favored harmless-error review, which would preserve the verdict if the state proved, “beyond a reasonable doubt,” that the discredited testimony did not affect the outcome.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Relations of ideas are purely logical; our knowledge of contingent matters, of matters of fact, depends on evidence: testimony, experience, documents.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
It brings together archive records as well as testimonies from victims and survivors, their relatives and people who worked or volunteered for the institutions.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
The premier paid tribute to survivors who had campaigned for the apology and the "extraordinary courage with which they have shared their harrowing testimonies and fought for the truth time and time again".
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
During one of his first congressional testimonies, Greenspan received an earful from senators after suggesting the Fed was going to have to cool down the labor market by raising rates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Investigators have detected what they think are contradictions in Jonathan's testimonies regarding his own position when his father fell.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
During some witness testimonies, Guiteau made a show of ignoring the speaker on the stand by reading his newspapers and brushing away flies around his head.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
