perjury
noun
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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
Brian Bennett, TIME, 18 Mar. 2025
Allows canvassers to submit signatures under penalty of perjury, eliminating the need for notarization.
—Worth Sparkman, Axios, 12 Mar. 2025
His sharp decline in public approval stemmed from multiple scandals that ultimately led Kilpatrick to resign from office after pleading guilty to felony charges, including obstruction of justice and perjury.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
Anthony Becker perjury case: Prosecutors ask for ‘significant jail time’ for ex-Santa Clara vice mayor
The Rams have been dodging the question about the status of quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is seeking a new contract with future guarantees.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Perjury.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perjury. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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perjury
noun
Legal Definition
perjury
noun
Anglo-French perjurie, parjurie, from Latin perjurium, from perjurus deliberately giving false testimony, from per- detrimental to + jur-, jus law
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