vouch

American  

[vouch] / vaʊtʃ /

verb (used without object)

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)

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

• unvouched adjective
• well-vouched adjective

Etymology

Origin of vouch

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

Example Sentences

What so often matters most these days is the size of an actor’s following or which established person can vouch for them.

From Salon

The West Wing 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

Paulson echoed several of her colleagues who have also vouched for Powell’s integrity and leadership this week.

From The Wall Street Journal

We’ll also see the emergence of more labels like the “Organic Literature” certification, which intends to verify and vouch for human authorship.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From Salon