Perjury: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Perjury noun. The crime of lying in court after swearing to tell the truth.
How to say it
PUR-juh-ree/ˈpɜːdʒ(ə)ri/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (PUR).
Perjury in a sentence
The politician was jailed for perjury after lying about a speeding ticket.
Caught out by the CCTV footage, the witness now faced a charge of perjury.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- lying under oath
- false testimony
- forswearing
Where perjury comes from
From Latin perjurium, a false oath.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Caught out by the CCTV footage, the witness now faced a charge of _____.
- sovereignty
- arrears
- perjury
Show the answer
perjury: Caught out by the CCTV footage, the witness now faced a charge of perjury.