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Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Evidence & Forensics

Testify

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

/ˈtestɪfaɪ/verbCore term

In criminal law & justice, testify means: To make a formal statement in court about what you know or saw, usually after promising to tell the truth.

In Turkish: tanıklık etmek, ifade vermek, şahitlik etmek

How it is used

Witnesses 'testify for' or 'against' a defendant and 'testify under oath'. In common law systems the defendant can also choose to testify. The noun is 'testimony'; British courts often say 'give evidence' instead.

Example sentences

  1. The neighbour testified that she heard shouting at around midnight.

  2. He agreed to testify against the other members of the gang.

  3. The defendant chose not to testify.

Common collocations

  • testify against
  • testify under oath
  • testify in court
  • refuse to testify
  • witnessA person who saw or heard something connected with a crime, or who gives information about it in court.
  • statementA written or recorded account of what a person saw, heard or did, given formally to the police or a court.
  • perjuryThe crime of deliberately telling a lie in court or in another official statement after promising to tell the truth.
  • evidenceInformation, objects, documents or testimony that a court can use to decide whether something is true, for example whether the defendant committed the crime.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Evidence & Forensics

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.