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” ( per- ) + jūrāre “to swear,” literally, “to be at law” (derivative of jūs jus ¹ ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

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

The fact that prosecutors will offer immunity could mean that they believe she did not perjure herself and that Peterson’s conviction will stand, Rahmani said.

From Fox News • Feb. 8, 2022

You can equivocate, or dissemble, or palter, or mislead, or prevaricate, or fib, or perjure.

From Washington Post • May 3, 2021

“So the good, the pious, the saintly Lilian Strange can perjure herself in a way the most unregenerate would shrink from,” he sneers.

From The Fire Trumpet A Romance of the Cape Frontier by Mitford, Bertram