aver

verb

ə-ˈvər 

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

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.

Synonyms

• affirm
• allege
• assert
• avouch
• avow
• claim
• contend
• declare
• insist
• maintain
• profess
• protest
• purport
• warrant

Examples of aver in a Sentence

He averred that he was innocent.

“I am innocent,” he averred.

Recent Examples on the Web

The inspector general also averred that the program was understaffed and poorly managed. —Raj M. Shah, Foreign Affairs, 13 Jan. 2022

On June 12, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the most popular Turkish prime minister of the last half century, marked his third straight electoral win by averring his leadership over not only Turkey but the entire region. —Mustafa Akyol, Foreign Affairs, 7 July 2011

Despite their early practice of noshing on Phil’s family, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club avers that there has only been one Phil since 1886. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2024

The Taliban had evolved from American adversary into a partner in peace, Biden averred, and they could be trusted to see to U.S. interests in the region. —Noah Rothman, National Review, 11 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

aver

verb

ə-ˈvər 

averred; averring

: to declare positively

Legal Definition

aver

transitive verb

ə-ˈvər 

averred; averring

: to assert or declare positively especially in a pleading : allege

not necessary to aver the capacity of a party to sue

—U.S. Code

averment noun