vouch

American  

[vauch] / vaʊtʃ /

verb (used without object)

• vouches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• vouched,
  past participle,  past
• vouching
  present participle

1. to support as being true, certain, reliable, etc. (usually followed byfor ).

   Her record in office vouches for her integrity.

2. to attest; guarantee; certify (usually followed byfor ).

   to vouch for someone in a business transaction.

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verb (used with object)

• vouches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• vouched,
  past participle,  past
• vouching
  present participle

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

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

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

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

5. Archaic. to declare as with warrant; vouch for.

6. Obsolete. to call or take as a witness.

noun

Obsolete.

1. a vouching; an assertion.

2. a formal attestation; a supporting warrant.

vouch British  

/ vaʊtʃ /

verb

1. to give personal assurance; guarantee

   I'll vouch for his safety

2. to furnish supporting evidence (for) or function as proof (of)

3. (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

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

5. obsolete (tr) to assert

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noun

1. obsolete the act of vouching; assertion or allegation

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unvouched
  adjective
• well-vouched
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• vouching
  present
• vouched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• vouch
  simple
• vouches
  simple
• have vouched
  perfect
• has vouched
  perfect
• am vouching
  progressive
• are vouching
  progressive
• is vouching
  progressive
• have been vouching
  perfect progressive
• has been vouching
  perfect progressive

Past

• vouched
  simple
• had vouched
  perfect
• was vouching
  progressive
• were vouching
  progressive
• had been vouching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will vouch
  simple
• will have vouched
  perfect
• will be vouching
  progressive
• will have been vouching
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of vouch

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

Explanation

If you vouch for someone, you provide evidence or guarantee something on their behalf. If you vouch for your brother, you're saying he's a stand-up type of guy. First used in the 14th century, vouch comes from the Latin vocitare, ("to call, call upon, or summon"). Sometimes it can mean offering supporting evidence, as when, for example, you're summoned to court to testify on someone's behalf. If you write a letter of recommendation for a student or co-worker, you vouch for their character and abilities. If you take out a student loan, the government will automatically vouch for you, that is, they'll guarantee the loan will be repaid.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vouch vouches vouched vouching

Johnson sent a deputy to vouch for him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Most people would vouch for specific items, such as a spare tire or a lug wrench, if they had limited choices on what to keep in their car every day.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Former England scrum-half Danny Care played in all five of England's fixtures in that campaign and can vouch for how transformative confidence – or the lack of it – can be.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026

I use Claude, ChatGPT, and Google’s Gemini every day, and I can vouch for the truth in the Claude warning.

From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026

“Ah, I vouch for myself, sir. I am new in the city and know only a boy named Curzon.”

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson

That host you like vouches for them, and that’s good enough for most people.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2025

A photographer colleague of David's at Sheffield Hallam University has analysed the picture and vouches for its authenticity.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2025

She routinely microneedles and vouches for the treatment.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025

RR Auction said it vouches for the authenticity of the lock and telegram, in part based on a 1945 letter written by Dr. Todd’s son, James Todd.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 28, 2020

“Pima vouches for you, but I’m wondering if you got the sense to know how much of a favor she’s doing.”

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

It ended up serving her well; her colleagues vouched for Sawchuck’s character.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

She would then ask them to help her with outstanding payments and vouched to reimburse them through her inheritance, which she never did.

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026

Reyne, Gil’s deputy, vouched for Jeremy to stay, and so he started sleeping there, too.

From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026

Several family members vouched that Torres was at the celebration, which was also a birthday party for his mother.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2025

But other people vouched for him, including Erasmus, whose opinion they always valued.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

There are other indications in the Justice Department files of Walker vouching for Epstein to people in the Gates Foundation community.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

She also had the power to boost deserving people otherwise overlooked by agencies and designers by vouching for them.

From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026

Reid already knew Jason, having drafted him two years earlier while coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, and he told him: "You're vouching for this guy."

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2025

Only students with wrist bands indicating they were previously in the encampment and those who had someone on the inside vouching for them were allowed to enter, Appel said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2024

This wasn’t gonna be fair; he could give any ol’ answer to my question and I ain’t got no way of vouching it for true.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis