If you searched for ‘define perjured’, you are looking for a clear, plain-language explanation of a legal word that appears in courtroom dramas, news reports, and everyday arguments about honesty. In simple terms, to be perjured means to have lied deliberately while under oath, and the noun for that act is perjury. It is not just any lie, and it is not a careless mistake or a difference of opinion. Perjury is a false statement made by someone who has formally promised to tell the truth, in a setting where that promise has legal weight, such as a court hearing, a sworn affidavit, or testimony before an official inquiry. This guide explains what the word means, where it comes from, how it differs from ordinary lying, and why the law treats it so seriously.
Words like perjured can be confusing because they belong to a specialist vocabulary that most people only meet through television or headlines. A character in a drama may be warned not to perjure themselves, a newsreader may say that a witness committed perjury, and a reader may be left wondering whether the word describes the lie, the liar, or the crime. In fact, it describes all three in different grammatical forms: perjury is the offence, perjured is the adjective or past form describing someone or a statement affected by it, and to perjure oneself is the verb for committing the act. Understanding those forms makes the word much easier to use correctly.
What ‘define perjured’ Means
To answer ‘define perjured’ directly: perjured describes a person who has given false testimony under oath, or a statement that was made falsely under oath. For example, a witness who swears to tell the truth and then deliberately invents an alibi has perjured themselves. A document signed under a sworn declaration that contains a knowingly false claim can be described as a perjured statement. The key ingredients are always the same: an oath or affirmation, a statement of fact, knowledge that the statement is false, and the intention to deceive.
The word comes from Latin roots connected to swearing falsely. Perjury entered English through legal and religious language about oaths, because an oath was once understood as a solemn promise witnessed by a higher authority. Even today, when many courts use an affirmation rather than a religious oath, the idea remains: the speaker has made a formal commitment to honesty, and breaking that commitment undermines the whole process of finding the truth. That is why perjury is treated as an offence against the justice system itself, not merely as a private lie.
Why ‘define perjured’ Appears in Search Results
Searches for ‘define perjured’ appear for a mix of academic, professional, and everyday reasons. Students meet the word in law, history, politics, and English classes. Journalists and readers meet it in coverage of trials and inquiries, where a single word can carry a serious accusation. Writers and crossword solvers meet it as a precise term for a specific kind of dishonesty. In each case, the searcher usually wants the same thing: a definition that is accurate enough to trust, but simple enough to understand without a law degree.
There is another reason the word prompts searches. Perjury is often confused with related ideas, such as lying to the police, giving a false statement in a job interview, or simply being wrong on the stand. People search to check whether a particular situation counts. The short answer is that context matters enormously: the same false claim may be a lie in one setting, a serious offence in another, and an honest mistake in a third. This guide separates those cases carefully, so you can use the word with confidence.
Perjury Versus Ordinary Lying
Not every lie is perjury, and the distinction is important. Lying in everyday conversation is dishonest, but it is not usually a crime. Lying on a form, to an employer, or to a friend may have social or contractual consequences, but it does not automatically become perjury. Perjury requires a formal setting in which truth-telling is legally required. Typical settings include giving evidence in court, signing a sworn statement, or testifying under oath to a committee or tribunal that has the power to take sworn evidence.
Intention also matters. A witness who genuinely misremembers a date, confuses two events, or gives an opinion that turns out to be wrong has not necessarily committed perjury, even if the statement is inaccurate. Perjury requires that the person knew the statement was false, or at least did not believe it to be true, and made it deliberately. Courts understand that memory is imperfect and that honest people can be mistaken, especially under stress. The law targets deliberate deception, not human fallibility.
Materiality is a third ingredient in many legal systems. A false statement must usually be relevant to the matter being decided, not a trivial detail with no bearing on the outcome. Lying about what you had for breakfast, for example, would rarely count as perjury in a trial about a contract, unless the meal was somehow central to the case. This requirement prevents the law from punishing every small inaccuracy, while still protecting the integrity of decisions that depend on sworn evidence.
The Forms of the Word: Perjury, Perjure, Perjured
English gives this concept a small family of related words, and using the right form helps your writing sound precise. Perjury is the noun for the offence itself: committing perjury, or an act of perjury. To perjure is the verb, almost always used reflexively, as in to perjure oneself, meaning to commit perjury. Perjured is the past participle and adjective: a perjured witness, a perjured statement, or a person who has perjured themselves. The related noun for the person is perjurer, although it is less common in everyday speech than the other forms.
Here are some examples in ordinary sentences. A witness who swears to tell the whole truth and then hides a crucial fact may be said to have perjured themselves. A statement later shown to be knowingly false can be called perjured testimony. A lawyer might warn a client, in general terms, that giving false evidence under oath could amount to perjury. Notice that in each case the oath, the deliberate falsehood, and the formal setting are all present. Remove any one of them, and the word no longer fits.
| Word form | Part of speech | Example use |
|---|---|---|
| Perjury | Noun | Perjury undermines trust in the courts. |
| To perjure oneself | Verb phrase | A witness must not perjure themselves on the stand. |
| Perjured | Adjective or participle | The perjured statement was later withdrawn. |
| Perjurer | Noun for a person | The perjurer faced serious legal consequences. |
Where Perjury Applies
Perjury most often arises in court proceedings, where witnesses give evidence under oath or affirmation. It can also arise in written form, when a person signs an affidavit or a statutory declaration knowing that its contents are false. In some systems, it can arise in legislative hearings, public inquiries, and tribunals, provided those bodies have the authority to take sworn testimony. The exact rules, penalties, and procedures vary by country and by jurisdiction, so a definition that is accurate in one place may need local detail in another. This guide gives the general concept; for a specific case, local law is the authority.
It is also worth noting what perjury is not. It is not the same as contempt of court, although the two can overlap. Contempt covers behaviour that disrupts or disrespects a court, such as refusing to answer or disobeying an order, while perjury covers false sworn statements. It is not the same as making a false report to the police, which is a separate offence in many systems. And it is not the same as lying under pressure in an interview that is not under oath, which may be dishonest and may have other consequences, but is not perjury in the strict legal sense.
Why the Law Takes Perjury So Seriously
Courts depend on sworn evidence to make decisions that affect liberty, property, family life, and public safety. If witnesses could lie under oath without consequence, judges and juries would have no reliable way to separate truth from invention, and innocent people could be convicted while guilty people go free. Perjury is therefore treated as an attack on the system itself, not just on the other party in a case. Even a single false statement, if it is central to the decision, can distort an entire trial.
That seriousness also explains why the penalties for perjury can be severe, including fines and imprisonment in many jurisdictions. The exact penalty depends on the system, the seriousness of the falsehood, and the harm it caused. At the same time, prosecutions for perjury are relatively rare compared with the number of trials, partly because proving deliberate falsehood beyond reasonable doubt is difficult, and partly because courts prefer to test evidence through cross-examination rather than through separate criminal charges. The rarity of prosecution does not mean the offence is unimportant; it means the bar for proving it is deliberately high.
Perjury in Everyday Language and Media
Outside the courtroom, people sometimes use perjured or perjury loosely to mean any serious lie, especially in politics and public debate. A politician accused of lying to the public may be accused of perjury in headlines, even when no oath was involved. That loose use is understandable, because it borrows the moral weight of the legal term, but it can also mislead. Strictly speaking, a public statement that is not under oath is not perjury, however dishonest it may be. Careful writers and readers should check whether an oath was actually taken before using the legal label.
The word also appears in idioms and warnings. To be told not to perjure yourself is to be reminded that a formal promise to tell the truth has consequences. In fiction, the threat of a perjury charge is a classic way to raise tension, because it forces a character to choose between protecting someone and telling the truth. Recognising that dramatic function helps readers enjoy courtroom stories without mistaking every dramatic lie for a legal offence.
Related Words and Definitions
Learning perjured is easier when it is placed beside nearby words. An oath is a formal promise to tell the truth, often sworn on a religious text or by affirmation. An affidavit is a written statement confirmed by oath for use as evidence. Testimony is evidence given by a witness, usually orally in court. False testimony is testimony that is untrue, but only becomes perjury when it is knowingly false and given under oath in a relevant proceeding. Keeping those distinctions clear will help you use the whole family of words accurately.
For readers interested in how words gain their meanings, our guides to other definitions may be useful. See our explanation of the meaning of testimony for the history behind sworn statements, our guide to what legally binding means for another legal phrase used in everyday life, and our piece on defining a word in context for how a single word can shift meaning between subjects.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does perjured mean in one sentence?
Perjured means having lied deliberately while under oath, so that a statement or a witness is tainted by false sworn testimony.
Is every lie in court perjury?
No. An honest mistake, a confused memory, or an opinion that turns out to be wrong is not perjury. The false statement must be deliberate, made under oath, and relevant to the proceedings.
Can a written statement be perjured?
Yes. A sworn written statement, such as an affidavit, can be perjured if it contains a knowingly false claim made under a formal declaration of truth.
Is perjury the same as lying to the police?
Not exactly. Lying to the police may be a separate offence, but perjury in the strict sense requires a sworn statement in a court or other body authorised to take evidence under oath.
Conclusion
In short, if you searched for ‘define perjured’, the answer is that perjured describes someone who has deliberately lied under oath, or a statement made in that way. It is a precise legal word, not a general synonym for lying, and its power comes from the combination of a formal promise, a knowing falsehood, and a setting where truth matters to justice. Use it when all three are present, and choose a plainer word, such as dishonest or mistaken, when they are not. That precision is what makes the word useful, and it is also what protects its meaning: perjury matters because truth under oath matters, and keeping the word accurate helps keep that principle clear for everyone.
