vouch

[vouch]

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verb (used without object)

to support as being true, certain, reliable, etc. (usually followed by for): Her record in office vouches for her integrity.

to attest; guarantee; certify (usually followed by for): to vouch for someone in a business transaction.

verb (used with object)

to sustain or uphold by, or as if by, practical proof or demonstration.

(formerly) to call or summon (a person) into court to make good a warranty of title.

to adduce or quote in support, as extracts from a book or author; cite in warrant or justification, as authority, instances, facts, etc.

Archaic. to warrant or attest; to support or authenticate with vouchers.

Archaic. to declare as with warrant; vouch for.

Obsolete. to call or take as a witness.

noun Obsolete.

a vouching; an assertion.

a formal attestation; a supporting warrant.

Origin of vouch

1275–1325; Middle English vouchen < Anglo-French, Middle French vo(u)cher, Old French avochier < Latin advocāre; see advocate

Related formsun·vouched, adjectivewell-vouched, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for vouch

back, corroborate, vow, sponsor, witness, guarantee, contend, uphold, prove, verify, support, certify, testify, maintain, warrant, predicate, avow, okay, avert, assert

Examples from the Web for vouch

Contemporary Examples of vouch

In a stroke of genius, he enlisted Bundy to vouch for him on tape.
Cliven Bundy’s Brokeback Mountain Moment
Olivia Nuzzi
October 19, 2014
Well, I can vouch for that statement—give someone everything and then take it all away and watch how they respond.
Sandi Thom On How To Make It As A Female Rock Star
Sandi Thom
April 9, 2014
The White House has been rounding up senators to vouch for her.
Roger Ferguson Is Wall Street’s Fantasy for Federal Reserve Chairman
Daniel Gross
September 24, 2013
I will be glad to hand this binder down to my niece and vouch for its comfort.
‘Binders Full of Women’ Invades Amazon.com
Matthew DeLuca
October 18, 2012
Just like with that previous treaty, the Obama administration has trotted out a diplomatic dream team to vouch for its merits.
GOP Opposes Broadly Supported Treaty—Again
Ryan Prior
June 21, 2012

Historical Examples of vouch

She seemed to take charge, to adopt me with the house, to accept and audit and vouch for us.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
It was said, afterwards, we were in five fathoms water at this time, but for this I will not vouch.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
I give you the rumour as it has reached me; but I cannot, as yet, vouch for its accuracy.
The Mudfog and Other Sketches
Charles Dickens
I can only vouch for its veracity by quoting the famous phrase, "If you see it in the Sun, it is so."
Concerning Cats
Helen M. Winslow
The publisher of this paper will vouch for my entire reliability.
The Mayflower, January, 1905
Various

British Dictionary definitions for vouch

vouch

verb

(intr usually foll by for) to give personal assurance; guaranteeI'll vouch for his safety

(when tr, usually takes a clause as object; when intr, usually foll by for) to furnish supporting evidence (for) or function as proof (of)

(tr) English legal history to summon (a person who had warranted title to land) to defend that title or give up land of equal value

(tr) archaic to cite (authors, principles, etc) in support of something

(tr) obsolete to assert

noun

obsolete the act of vouching; assertion or allegation

Word Origin for vouch

C14: from Old French vocher to summon, ultimately from Latin vocāre to call

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

Word Origin and History for vouch

early 14c., "summon into court to prove a title," from Anglo-French voucher, Old French vocher "to call, summon, invoke, claim," probably from Gallo-Romance *voticare, metathesis of Latin vocitare "to call to, summon insistently," frequentative of Latin vocare "to call, call upon, summon" (see voice (n.)). Meaning "guarantee to be true or accurate" is first attested 1590s. Related: Vouched; vouching.