attest
Americanverb (used with object)
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attests,
present (3rd person singular)
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attested,
past participle, past
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attesting
present participle
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to bear witness to; certify; declare to be correct, true, or genuine; declare the truth of, in words or writing, especially to affirm in an official capacity.
to attest the truth of a statement.
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to give proof or evidence of; manifest.
His works attest his industry.
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Linguistics. to give evidence of the existence of (a word, phrase, usage, etc.), especially in writing: The dictionary attests this meaning as early as 1890.
The plural form is attested in ancient texts.
The dictionary attests this meaning as early as 1890.
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to put on oath.
verb (used without object)
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attests,
present (3rd person singular)
-
attested,
past participle, past
-
attesting
present participle
noun
verb
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(tr) to affirm the correctness or truth of
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to witness (an act, event, etc) or bear witness to (an act, event, etc) as by signature or oath
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(tr) to make evident; demonstrate
his life of luxury attests his wealth
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(tr) to provide evidence for
the marks in the ground attested the presence of a fossil
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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attestantnoun
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attestationnoun
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attestatornoun
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attesternoun
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attestornoun
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reattestverb (used with object)
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attestableadjective
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attestiveadjective
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unattestedadjective
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well-attestedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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attestsimple
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attestssimple
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have attestedperfect
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has attestedperfect
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am attestingprogressive
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are attestingprogressive
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is attestingprogressive
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have been attestingperfect progressive
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has been attestingperfect progressive
Past
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attestedsimple
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had attestedperfect
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was attestingprogressive
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were attestingprogressive
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had been attestingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of attest
First recorded in 1590–1600; < Middle French attester, from Latin attestārī “to bear witness to, affirm, confirm” equivalent to at- at- + testārī “to witness” ( see testis ( def. ))
Explanation
To attest is to prove or declare to be true. For example: the fact that you aced the SAT attests to the strength of your vocabulary. Attest and testify come from the same Latin word testari, which means "to declare." Although both words are kind of formal, you often testify in a courtroom, but attest doesn't require a court of law to function. You can attest to anything — that the funny looking shoes toned your thighs, that what someone says is true, or that the new acne medicine really works. To remember it, think of when you pass a test, you attest that you know the material.
Vocabulary lists containing attest
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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Posted
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The Ancient Period, Before 600 BCE
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
As anyone who has tried to hold Europe in the board game Risk can attest, the continent is geographically harder to seal off than North America or Australia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Seattleites, however, can attest that Burning Man’s ruin began long ago, pretty much since Microsofties and Amazonians invaded it in the early aughts.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
Hartig told lawmakers that while the White House report is under review, "we unwaveringly attest that it does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum."
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Supporters highlight that current law already demands voters attest to their citizenship under penalty of perjury, and they contend that constitutional amendments like Prop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
He might have no windows to attest to it, but he had a watch, ticking steadily.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Shew said he’s only supposed to be given registrations to process if the would-be voter attests they are a U.S. citizen, as federal law requires.
From Salon ● May 14, 2026
The huge demand in the U.S. attests to advice gone unheeded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
Jean has two personalities, he attests: “the peaceful one here, and the bonkers one onstage.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
"Belen Garijo's brilliant international career attests to her strategic vision and her ability to drive profound and value-creating transformations," board chairman Frederic Oudea said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
Gorgias’s brother Herodicus is a doctor, and the former attests that when trying to persuade a patient to submit to a course of treatment, his oratory is far more effective than his brother’s medical expertise.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
They must be segregated from issuer assets, independently attested and subject to federal supervision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
His long, productive career encompassed more than six decades, in each of which his live performances and recordings continually attested to his preeminence as one of jazz history’s most vital, innovative and influential artists.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
She did all this, he continued, “while enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles, as attested to by her frequent posting on her recently deleted Instagram account.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
In court, lawyers for the department attested that Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection rigorously adhered to this standard.
From Slate ● Feb. 18, 2026
None of those uses of the wheel was adopted in the Americas, where wheels are attested only in Mexican ceramic toys.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
A medical letter attesting to your mother’s health might help.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
"Then, the video attesting to the truth would be shown," she says.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026
He showed me a text message from a senior producer attesting to that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2026
Just seven weeks later, he got another mortgage for a seven-bedroom, marble-floored neighboring property, attesting that it too would be his principal residence.
From Salon ● Dec. 8, 2025
Kamen reached out to Lawrence for a deposition attesting to his loyalty, of which Lawrence in fact had no doubt.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
