affirm
Americanverb (used with object)
-
affirms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
affirmed,
past participle, past
-
affirming
present participle
-
to state or assert positively; maintain as true.
to affirm one's loyalty to one's country; He affirmed that all was well.
- Synonyms:
- testify, depose, asseverate, aver
- Antonyms:
- deny
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to confirm or ratify.
The appellate court affirmed the judgment of the lower court.
-
to assert solemnly.
He affirmed his innocence.
-
to express agreement with or commitment to; uphold; support.
to affirm human rights.
-
to support (someone) by giving approval, recognition, or encouragement.
She described the unhappy memory of her father, who had neither disciplined nor affirmed her.
verb (used without object)
-
affirms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
affirmed,
past participle, past
-
affirming
present participle
verb
-
(may take a clause as object) to declare to be true; assert positively
-
to uphold, confirm, or ratify
-
(intr) law to make an affirmation
Synonym Usage
See declare.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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affirmernoun
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overaffirmverb
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preaffirmverb
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reaffirmverb (used with object)
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affirmableadjective
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affirmablyadverb
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affirminglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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affirmsimple
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affirmssimple
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have affirmedperfect
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has affirmedperfect
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am affirmingprogressive
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are affirmingprogressive
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is affirmingprogressive
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have been affirmingperfect progressive
-
has been affirmingperfect progressive
Past
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affirmedsimple
-
had affirmedperfect
-
was affirmingprogressive
-
were affirmingprogressive
-
had been affirmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of affirm
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin affirmāre, equivalent to af- af- + firmāre “to make firm” ( see firm 1); replacing Middle English a(f)fermen, from Middle French afermer, from Latin
Explanation
To affirm something is to give it a big "YES" or to confirm that it is true. The verb affirm means to answer positively, but it has a more weighty meaning in legal circles. People are asked to swear an oath or affirm that they will tell the truth in a court of law. Lawyers may ask people to affirm facts, and judges may affirm rulings. In these cases, affirm means to verify or attest to the validity of something.
Vocabulary lists containing affirm
Speech and Debate
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"Ad Power," "Without Commercials," and "What's Wrong with Advertising"
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This Week In Culture: Current Events Vocab for October 3–9, 2020
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
There’s nothing more Landor could have done in prison to affirm his faith and protect his rights.
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
County, the Civilian Oversight Commission has said the March ruling, AB 847 and Measure R combine to affirm its subpoena powers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
"In a time of growing technological and global fragmentation, this spotlight underscores Europe's ambition to affirm its sovereignty and take the lead in innovation," they said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
This summer, nearly a century after Coolidge’s stirring words, marks a good moment to affirm once again those principles on which the U.S. is founded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
The stars, the black skies affirm his humanity, his validity as a human being.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
“I mean, I’m such a fan of ‘Paradise,’” she affirms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Goldman Sachs affirms its expectations that the Treasury will begin increasing coupon auction sizes from May 2027, with eventual auction-size increases limited to two- to seven-year maturities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
"I'll go to social media before Google or somewhere else. Everyone is already talking about it," affirms Major.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Pixar affirms this by incorporating a Totoro cameo into “Toy Story 3.”
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
“Then right now we’ll just have to sit tight and hope for the best,” Alyssa affirms for herself.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
“If you are born in America, you are American — period. The Constitution says it and the Supreme Court has affirmed it,” Schumer said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
FCC, a 1990s case that affirmed the constitutionality of regulations derived from the scarcity of broadcast licenses, despite the rise of cable television at that point.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
Looking ahead, the company expects third-quarter EPS of $2 to $2.50, compared with the current FactSet consensus of $2.03, and affirmed its full-year EPS guidance range of $6.50 to $7.50.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
Barbara, Chief Justice John Roberts screams from the rafters that the framers of the 14th Amendment affirmed “citizenship, then as now, was the right to have rights—freely to participate in our community.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
He absorbed my worries, listened as I ticked off every financial obligation I had, and affirmed that he, too, was excited to have children.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
On Sunday, after her setback, she squawks half halfheartedly a few times, with the center affirming she’s “brighter.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
“I don’t want kids to think that, and I don’t want parents to think that because affirming your kid is right and life-saving.”
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Humphrey’s held Congress could prevent the president from firing the heads of these agencies without good cause, affirming a tradition that reached back to the early days of the republic.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
The US Supreme Court has blocked President Donald Trump's attempt to fire a governor of the US central bank, in a ruling seen as affirming the Federal Reserve's independence.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
The seventy-page opinion from the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirming his conviction and death sentence was devastating.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
