perjury Hear it!

perjury Definition

per·jury (pʉrjə rē)

noun pl. -·ries

  1. 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
  2. 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

n.

false statement, violation of an oath, willful falsehood; see lie 1.

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  • prosecution: Section 9 Perjury Act 1911 which empowered judges to order perjury prosecutions, was repealed by Section 28 Prosecution of Offenses Act 1985.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

  1. perjurer
  2. perjured
  3. perjure
  4. periwinkle
  5. periwig
  6. peritus
  7. peritrichous
  8. peritonitis
  9. peritoneum
  10. perithecium
  1. perk
  2. perk (up)
  3. Perkins
  4. Perkins, Carl
  5. Perkins, Frances
  6. perky
  7. Perl
  8. Perlis
  9. perlite
  10. perm