perjury

noun

per·​ju·​ry ˈpər-jə-rē How to pronounce perjury (audio)
ˈpərj-rē
: the voluntary violation of an oath or vow either by swearing to what is untrue or by omission to do what has been promised under oath : false swearing

Did you know?

The prefix per- in Latin often meant "harmfully". So witnesses who perjure themselves do harm to the truth by knowingly telling a lie. Not all lying is perjury, only lying under oath; so perjury generally takes place either in court or before a legislative body such as Congress. To avoid committing perjury, a witness or defendant may "take the Fifth": that is, refuse to answer a question because the answer might be an admission of guilt, and the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution forbids forcing a citizen to admit to being guilty of a crime.

Examples of perjury in a Sentence

He was found guilty of perjury.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Laura Lee Yourex, 62, of Costa Mesa, was charged with five felonies, including perjury, procuring or offering a false or forged document to be filed, casting a ballot when not entitled to vote and registering a non-existent person to vote. Riley Hoffman, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2025 Von Ferdinand is charged with nearly three dozen counts, including forgery, identity theft and grand theft, while Alto faces eight counts, including perjury, forgery and identity theft. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025 Prosecutors said in a press release that Laura Lee Yourex, 62, faces five felony counts, including perjury, offering a false or forged document for filing, casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, and registering a non-existent person to vote. Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025 The required affidavit must be signed under penalty of perjury, according to the DA's office. Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for perjury

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of perjury was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Perjury.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perjury. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

perjury

noun
per·​ju·​ry ˈpərj-(ə-)rē How to pronounce perjury (audio)
plural perjuries
: the act or crime of swearing to what one knows is untrue

Legal Definition

perjury

noun
per·​ju·​ry ˈpər-jə-rē How to pronounce perjury (audio)
plural perjuries
: the act or crime of knowingly making a false statement (as about a material matter) while under oath or bound by an affirmation or other officially prescribed declaration that what one says, writes, or claims is true compare false swearing
Etymology

Anglo-French perjurie, parjurie, from Latin perjurium, from perjurus deliberately giving false testimony, from per- detrimental to + jur-, jus law

More from Merriam-Webster on perjury

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