aver

verb \ ə-ˈvər \

Updated on: 7 Apr 2018

Definition of aver

averred; averring

transitive verb

1 : to declare positively

Mr. Murray avers that many large organizations in the private sector are run by curmudgeons like him …
—Joseph Epstein

2 law

a : to verify or prove to be true in pleading a cause

b : to allege or assert in pleading

See aver defined for English-language learners

See aver defined for kids

Examples of aver in a Sentence

He averred that he was innocent.
“I am innocent,” he averred.

Recent Examples of aver from the Web

Is the America so deeply divided between the powerful and the powerless as throughout his book Mr. Fraser avers?

— joseph epstein, WSJ, "‘Class Matters’ Review: The American Dream as Nightmare," 22 Mar. 2018
The worst that could happen, the money masters averred, was that investors would be lulled into reckless investments, taking on too much risk in the belief that the dangers of the marketplace had been tamed.

— peter s. goodman, New York Times, "The Era of Easy Money Is Ending, and the World Is Bracing for Shocks," 6 Feb. 2018
German lore averred that two trees planted in front of the house of a newly married couple assured happiness and a locust, according to the Victorians, was symbolic of love beyond the grave.

— National Geographic, "See 10 Remarkable Trees, Each With a Special Story to Tell," 22 Apr. 2016
Unconfirmed reports from Bloomberg aver that the Mercedes-Benz B-Class crossover vehicle, which is due for a makeover in 2011 or 2012, will finally make it to America.

— marty jerome, WIRED, "Is Baby Benz Headed for America?," 31 July 2007
Porsche avers that the new GT2 RS will catapult to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds and top out at an astronomical 211 mph.

— steve siler, Car and Driver, "2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS: Lots of Power, Lots of Want," 30 June 2017

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

Did You Know?

Since aver contains the "truth" root, it basically means "confirm as true". You may aver anything that you're sure of. In legal situations, aver means to state positively as a fact; thus, Perry Mason's clients aver that they are innocent, while the district attorney avers the opposite. If you make such a statement while under oath, and it turns out that you lied, you may have committed the crime of perjury.

Origin and Etymology of aver

Middle English averren, from Anglo-French averer, from Medieval Latin adverare to confirm as authentic, from Latin ad- + verus true — more at ²very

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year