declare

verb

de·clare | \ di-ˈkler

declared; declaring

Definition of declare

1a : to make known formally, officially, or explicitly publicly declared her opposition to the plan

b : to make known as a determination The judge declared the defendant fit to stand trial. She was declared the rightful heir to the throne.

2 obsolete : to make clear

3 : to make evident : show a glimpse of his head in outline … declared his present state of mind— Osbert Sitwell

4 : to state emphatically : affirm declares his innocence "You are quite a quiz, I do declare!"— Charles Dickens

5 : to make a full statement of (one's taxable or dutiable property) Large purchases must be declared at customs.

6 in card games

a : to make a bid or announcement naming (a trump suit or no-trump)

b : meld

7 : to make payable declare a dividend

intransitive verb

1 : to make a declaration poetry … evokes rather than merely declares— C. S. Kilby

2 : to avow one's opinion or support declaring for or against a candidate

3 : to announce one's intentions (as to run for political office) declared for mayor

Other Words from declare Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about declare

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Choose the Right Synonym for declare

declare, announce, proclaim, promulgate mean to make known publicly. declare implies explicitness and usually formality in making known. the referee declared the contest a draw announce implies the declaration of something for the first time. announced their engagement at a party proclaim implies declaring clearly, forcefully, and authoritatively. the president proclaimed a national day of mourning promulgate implies the proclaiming of a dogma, doctrine, or law. promulgated an edict of religious toleration

synonyms see in addition assert

declare, announce, and advertise mean to make known to the public. declare is used of something that is said very clearly and often in a formal manner. The governor declared a policy change. announce is used when something of interest is declared for the first time. Scientists announced the discovery of a new planet. advertise is used when a statement is repeated over and over and all around. She advertised her grades to the whole class.

Examples of declare in a Sentence

The government has just declared a state of emergency. He openly declared his love for her. They failed to declare all of their earnings on their tax return. Large purchases must be declared at customs. Do you have anything to declare?

Recent Examples on the Web

Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development JULIAN CASTRO, 44, hasn’t declared but is forming an exploratory committee. — Celeste Katz, Glamour, "Who’s In and Who’s Out of the 2020 Presidential Race—So Far," 3 Jan. 2019 Gritty has been widely declared antifa, and was subject to attempted reclamation in the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal. — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "Gritty’s evolution from googly-eyed hockey mascot to meme to leftist avatar, explained," 24 Dec. 2018 This year, Christmas Eve has been declared an official federal holiday, but most major bank branches will be open, according to Yahoo Finance. — Amina Lake Abdelrahman, Good Housekeeping, "Good News: These Stores Will Be Open on Christmas Eve," 22 Dec. 2018 Trump has declared states of emergency for the Carolinas, as well as Virginia, and canceled campaign events Thursday and Friday in anticipation of the storm. — Elizabeth Zwirz, Fox News, "Hurricane Florence charges towards East Coast as ‘monster’ storm, lawmaker says," 2 Oct. 2018 Candace declared while Jodie and Andrea nodded and smiled in agreement. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'Full House' Star Candace Cameron Bure Made It Clear Where She Stands After Lori Loughlin Scandal," 25 Mar. 2019 On March 1, the Air Force declared the 52nd Expeditionary Operations Group Detachment 2 fully operational from its home at Miroslawiec Air Base, Poland. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "It Looks Like A U.S. Air Base Is Coming To Poland," 13 Mar. 2019 When martial law was declared, my family left the Philippines and came to the United States. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "Memo from a ‘Facebook nation’ to Mark Zuckerberg: You moved fast and broke our country.," 26 Nov. 2018 On Monday, the group’s secretary-general, Mohammad Barkindo, upped the ante, declaring outright in a Reuters interview that the group wasn’t a cartel at all. — Spencer Jakab, WSJ, "‘Who, Us, a Cartel?’ Says Head of Oil Cartel," 11 Feb. 2019

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