perjury

noun

per·​ju·​ry ˈpər-jə-rē 

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

Julie Epperson, who declared under penalty of perjury that the district attorney’s office was still reviewing the matter. —Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026

Submitting a false affidavit could constitute perjury, officials say. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026

On April 7, the Pima County Board of Supervisors demanded the sheriff answer questions after allegations of perjury emerged following his deposition in a First Amendment lawsuit brought against him by the president of the Pima County Deputies Association, Sgt. —Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026

As part of her plea deal with prosecutors, felony counts of perjury, procuring or offering a false or forged document to be filed, registered or recorded, and not being entitled to vote at an election were dismissed. —City News Service, Oc Register, 22 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for perjury

• surgery
• cryosurgery
• microsurgery
• neurosurgery
• psychosurgery
• radiosurgery

Kids Definition

perjury

noun

per·​ju·​ry ˈpərj-(ə-)rē 

plural perjuries

: the act or crime of swearing to what one knows is untrue

Legal Definition

perjury

noun

per·​ju·​ry ˈpər-jə-rē 

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