affirm

verb af·firm \ ə-ˈfərm \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of affirm

transitive verb

1 a : validate, confirm

He was affirmed as a candidate.

b : to state positively

He affirmed his innocence.

2 : to assert (something, such as a judgment or decree) as valid or confirmed

The court affirmed his conviction.

3 : to show or express a strong belief in or dedication to (something, such as an important idea)

laws affirming the racial equality of all people

intransitive verb

1 : to testify or declare by affirmation (see affirmation 2) as distinguished from swearing an oath

2 : to uphold a judgment or decree of a lower court

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affirmable

play \ə-ˈfər-mə-bəl\ adjective

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affirmance

play \ə-ˈfər-mən(t)s\ noun

See affirm defined for English-language learners

See affirm defined for kids

Examples of affirm in a Sentence

We cannot affirm that this painting is genuine.
They neither affirmed nor denied their guilt.
laws affirming the racial equality of all peoples
They continued to affirm their religious beliefs.
The decision was affirmed by a higher court.

Recent Examples of affirm from the Web

An appellate court affirmed the judgment in April 2017, according to the fund’s filing.

— zak koeske, Daily Southtown, "Harvey lays off 40 police and fire employees, union officials say," 11 Apr. 2018
On Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans affirmed Brady's dismissal.

— wilborn p. nobles iii, NOLA.com, "Ex-LSU instructor's gender discrimination claims rejected by appeals court: report," 6 Apr. 2018
The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the trial court's decision in 2009.

— ivana hrynkiw, AL.com, "U.S. Supreme Court won't review cases of two Alabama death row inmates," 2 Apr. 2018
Mainly, this is relatively benign and even life-affirming.

— amy dickinson, chicagotribune.com, "Work email salutation is for 'gentlemen' only," 31 Mar. 2018
On Saturday, one of Trump’s lawyers, John Dowd, called for an end to the Mueller probe—breaking with earlier statements, in which Trump’s legal team had affirmed their full cooperation with Mueller.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "Congressional Republicans are failing the Mueller test.," 19 Mar. 2018
Mayor Fred Pinto said any resolution should affirm the council's commitment to the rights of law-abiding, gun-owning residents.

— austen erblat, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Royal Palm Beach considers endorsing state gun reform efforts," 13 Mar. 2018
The judges affirmed that corporations have a First Amendment right to spend their money to influence elections; the decision seemed to extinguish any hope of serious campaign-finance reform.

— The Economist, "The triumph of America’s companies," 8 Mar. 2018
In August, a California court of appeals affirmed a lower court ruling against him.

— Fortune, "A Billionaire Silicon Valley VC Is So Eager to Keep Surfers Off His Beach He's Taking Them to the Supreme Court," 23 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'affirm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of affirm

alteration (conformed to Latin affirmāre) of Middle English affermen "to fix firmly, make steadfast, establish, confirm, assert," borrowed from Anglo-French afermer, affermer, going back to Latin affirmāre "to strengthen, confirm, assert positively," from ad- ad- + firmāre "to strengthen, fortify," derivative of firmus "strong, durable, ¹firm"

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

affirm Synonyms

Phrases

put forth;

Synonym Discussion of affirm

assert, declare, affirm, protest, avow mean to state positively usually in anticipation of denial or objection. assert implies stating confidently without need for proof or regard for evidence.

- asserted that modern music is just noise

declare stresses open or public statement.

- declared her support for the candidate

affirm implies conviction based on evidence, experience, or faith.

- affirmed the existence of an afterlife

protest emphasizes affirming in the face of denial or doubt.

- protested that he really had been misquoted

avow stresses frank declaration and acknowledgment of personal responsibility for what is declared.

- avowed that all investors would be repaid in full

AFFIRM Defined for English Language Learners

affirm

verb

Definition of affirm for English Language Learners

: to say that something is true in a confident way
: to show a strong belief in or dedication to (something, such as an important idea)
law : to decide that the judgment of another court is correct