perjury Definition
per·jury (pʉr′jə rē)
noun pl. -·ries
- the willful telling of a lie while under lawful oath or affirmation to tell the truth in a matter material to the point of inquiry
- the breaking of any oath or formal promise
Etymology: ME < OFr parjurie < L perjurium < perjurus, false, breaking oath < per, through + jus (gen. juris), a right, justice: see jury
perjury Synonyms
perjury Law Definition
n
The criminal offense of
making false statements under oath, especially in a legal document or during a
legal proceeding.
perjury Usage Examples
Converse of object
- commit: I have lost track of the number of times I was asked to commit perjury in order to make my evidence more concrete.
- admit: The Crown's star witness has also made a statement admitting perjury.
- make: A better way to make sure people tell the truth in court is to make perjury the most serious of crimes.
Adjective modifier
little: But they believe Michelle is innocent and that it was therefore worth a little perjury.
Modifies a noun
- case: An account of the espionage and perjury case that resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of Alger Hiss.
- trial: More revelations in the perjury trial of former Conservative Party vise chairman Jeffrey Archer.
- prosecution: Section 9 Perjury Act 1911 which empowered judges to order perjury prosecutions, was repealed by Section 28 Prosecution of Offenses Act 1985.
- conviction: Perjury convictions require at least two witnesses, however.
Preposition: in
case: Simmons ' ballooning career was interrupted in July 1884 when he was convicted at the Central Criminal Court for perjury in a civil case.
Browse dictionary entries near perjury
- ‹ perjurer
- ‹ perjured
- ‹ perjure
- ‹ periwinkle
- ‹ periwig
- ‹ peritus
- ‹ peritrichous
- ‹ peritonitis
- ‹ peritoneum
- ‹ perithecium
- perk ›
- perk (up) ›
- Perkins ›
- Perkins, Carl ›
- Perkins, Frances ›
- perky ›
- Perl ›
- Perlis ›
- perlite ›
- perm ›

