perjure

American  

[pur-jer] / ˈpɜr dʒər /

verb (used with object)

perjured, perjuring

1. to render (oneself ) guilty of swearing falsely or of willfully making a false statement under oath or solemn affirmation.

   The witness perjured herself when she denied knowing the defendant.

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perjure British  

/ ˈpɜːdʒə /

verb

1. (tr) criminal law to render (oneself) guilty of perjury

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Other Word Forms

• perjurement
  noun
• perjurer
  noun
• unperjuring
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of perjure

First recorded in 1475–85; from Latin perjūrāre “to swear falsely,” from per- “through,” i.e., “beyond the limits” ( see per-) + jūrāre “to swear,” literally, “to be at law” (derivative of jūs jus ¹ ( def. ) )

Explanation

To perjure is to lie after taking an oath in a courtroom to tell the truth. If a witness to a crime deliberately gives false information in front of a judge, they perjure themselves. It's possible to perjure yourself — or commit the crime of perjury — in a written statement or during any other legal transaction that requires you to swear you'll tell the truth. You only perjure yourself, however, if you tell a deliberate lie that affects the outcome of a trial or other legal decision. The Old French source of the word perjure is parjurer, "to break one's word," from the Latin root periurare, "to swear falsely."

Example Sentences

She said the letters were part of a plan by Ms. Toebbe to pressure her husband to perjure himself by falsely saying she knew nothing about the plot.

From New York Times • Nov. 9, 2022

Jones on Tuesday called Bellis a tyrant and said she would be forcing him to perjure himself and say “that I’m guilty and to say that I’m a liar.”

From Seattle Times • Sep. 21, 2022

And she said it was "utterly absurd" to suggest that nine women "could be persuaded to lie to the police, to perjure themselves in court".

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2021

Gleeson argued that Flynn did perjure himself, but that this should factor into his sentencing and not be the basis for an additional charge.

From Fox News • Jun. 10, 2020

Now he will perjure himself; he will descend to the depths of infamy; he will make us blush to our finger-tips before these men—we women who have loved him.

From The Dramas of Victor Hugo: Mary Tudor, Marion de Lorme, Esmeralda by Hugo, Victor