perjure
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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perjuresimple
-
perjuressimple
-
have perjuredperfect
-
has perjuredperfect
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am perjuringprogressive
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are perjuringprogressive
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is perjuringprogressive
-
have been perjuringperfect progressive
-
has been perjuringperfect progressive
Past
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perjuredsimple
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had perjuredperfect
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was perjuringprogressive
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were perjuringprogressive
-
had been perjuringperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing perjure
Just Mercy
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The Left Hand of Darkness
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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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:
“He specifically told me, ‘I don’t want you to perjure yourself, but "I don’t recall" isn’t perjury.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 23, 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
“If the president were to perjure himself, tamper with witness testimony or corruptly destroy evidence, then such actions would violate well-established law,” the memo stated.
From New York Times ● Aug. 24, 2022
One of those who testified against him in court has since told the BBC that it is "utterly absurd" to suggest nine women would perjure themselves as part of a political plot.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2021
You gather that he has seen other heroic enterprises also and that he would perjure himself if he swore that they were indispensable.
From A Journal of Impressions in Belgium by Sinclair, May
He perjures himself in public all the time.
From New York Times ● Mar. 18, 2018
Spector’s wife perjures herself to cover for him without knowing the truth.
From Time ● Jan. 26, 2015
But his commander perjures himself, and Carrington's wife, who could save the day, refuses to help.
From Time Magazine Archive
The greedy tradesman blasphemes over his losses; he lies and perjures himself over the price of his wares.
From Summa Theologica, Part II-II (Secunda Secundae) Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province by Thomas, Aquinas, Saint
Among the relics of the Cathedral is a crucifix which is supposed to emit drops of blood when one perjures himself before it.
From The Cathedrals of Northern France by McManus, Blanche
"You cannot call a person a liar, that's not on, that's implying someone has perjured themselves in court," he said.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2025
When Kaplan explained himself from the bench on Monday, he confirmed that he found Bankman-Fried had perjured himself on the stand three different times.
From Slate ● Mar. 28, 2024
“The fact that a defendant who lacks credibility and has already been to prison for falsifying business documents may have also perjured himself in this proceeding or the preceding investigation is hardly surprising,” Wallace wrote.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 7, 2024
"Mr. Kise...my role is to get the witness to testify. If he perjured himself yesterday or he perjured himself today, I don't care. I just want him to testify," the judge said.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2023
“Iss!” said Demi the perjured, blissfully sucking his sugar, and regarding his first attempt as eminently successful.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
She echoed calls for the PPS to consider bringing charges against any living soldiers suspected of perjuring themselves in relation to the events of Bloody Sunday.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2025
Latham is also accused of perjuring herself by lying about her involvement in a federal court deposition in 2022.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 15, 2023
Paradis has previously accused Feuer of knowing about wrongdoing in the case and has accused the former city attorney of perjuring himself during a 2019 deposition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2023
She also claimed that Passantino was aware of Hutchinson’s knowledge of Ornato’s story — and that when she expressed concerns to him about lying to investigators, Passantino reassured her that she was not perjuring herself.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 22, 2022
It would be wronging him and perjuring myself.
From Without a Home by Roe, Edward Payson
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.
