EN

Synonyms for testify

24 synonyms
2 meanings

verb

Most common

witness swear bear witness attest evidence prove

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Bear witness

bear witness, witness, attest, swear, depose, affirm, declare, take the stand, vouch for, avow, certify, state, depone, asseverate, allege, assert, verify, aver, avouch

2. Evidence

evidence, prove, show, express, manifest

Definitions

v. 1
To make a declaration, or give evidence, under oath.
v. 2
To make a statement based on personal knowledge or faith.

Related words

Word family: testilying testimony testimonial

Forms

Past participle: testified
e.g. testified → witnessed, attested, sweared, deposed…

Choose the right word

Testify, Affirm, Depose or Swear?

In legal usage, affirm has a general agreement with depose and testify; it differs from swear in not invoking the name of God.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

witness Have you ever served as a witness in a court case?
swear When angry, count to four. When very angry, swear.
attest The fingerprints on the knife attest to her guilt.
evidence From this evidence it follows that he is innocent.
prove Further study will prove that the theory is right.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
testify		falling
witness		steady
swear		rising
attest		rising
evidence		steady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: show¹, aver², avow²
5 letters: state¹, prove¹, swear¹
6 letters: verify³, assert², attest², affirm², allege², depose², avouch, depone
7 letters: express², witness², declare², certify³
8 letters: evidence³, manifest³
10 letters: asseverate

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (aver² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: attester
Italiano: attestare
Español: atestar
Deutsch: attestieren
Català: testimoniar