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

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Etymology

Origin of vouch

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

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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

This way, if something goes awry, someone else at your company can vouch that you were receiving no guidance or support from your manager.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

Fifa shot back directly, stating that its official platform is the only guaranteed sales channel and that it cannot vouch for tickets bought via third parties.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 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

He glanced at the dugout to see if Nunu had witnessed his triumph, so she could vouch for his story at dinner; but she’d found his Gameboy and wasn’t paying him any attention.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers

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

But once inside, they often manipulated a piece of Microsoft software, Active Directory Federation Services, that vouches for the identities of authorized users by issuing digital identity documents called “SAML tokens.”

From Washington Post ● Feb. 9, 2021

“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

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

From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026

In response to a Russian inquiry, Saudi officials vouched for Witkoff’s close relationship with Trump, according to a person familiar with the talks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025

Several users vouched for the hack in the comments, even calling it a happy mistake.

From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2025

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

It didn’t matter that Pima vouched for him.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

The diplomat, John Barrett, told a Colombian reporter that Washington had “a great deal of confidence…in the local authorities,” vouching for the Rodríguez government even as many Venezuelans accused it of bungling the response.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

The Thirtysomething actor's defence team submitted more than 70 letters from people vouching for his character and said that he underwent and passed a polygraph test pertaining to the allegations against him.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026

Without a valid and confirmed source vouching for it as a fact, a deepfake might be interesting or funny but will never pass muster in a courtroom.

From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2024

In response to the AP’s reporting, the Moreno campaign produced an open letter signed by 23 former female employees vouching that he treated them fairly and respectfully.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2024

One operative he met in Canada gave Booth letters of introduction vouching for the actor’s devotion to the Confederacy and requesting aid for him.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

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