aver
verb
ə-ˈvər 
averred; averring
transitive verb
1
: to declare positively
Mr. Murray avers that many large organizations in the private sector are run by curmudgeons like him …
Joseph Epstein
Joseph Epstein2
law
a
: to verify or prove to be true in pleading a cause
b
: to allege or assert in pleading
Did you know?
Since aver contains the "truth" root, it basically means "confirm as true". You may aver anything that you're sure of. In legal situations, aver means to state positively as a fact; thus, Perry Mason's clients aver that they are innocent, while the district attorney avers the opposite. If you make such a statement while under oath, and it turns out that you lied, you may have committed the crime of perjury.
Synonyms
- affirm
- allege
- assert
- avouch
- avow
- claim
- contend
- declare
- insist
- maintain
- profess
- protest
- purport
- warrant
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
He averred that he was innocent. “I am innocent,” he averred.
Recent Examples on the Web Both Ellen and Ken aver that sage and marijuana are both sacred medicinal plants. Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 28 Aug. 2022 And some aver that crime isn’t the problem at all, but the need for police reform is. Joseph Epstein, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2022 But the good news, optimists aver, is that China's authoritarian political system enables swift and decisive action. Clay Chandler And Grady Mcgregor, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2021 Our spies also aver that the virus wasn’t developed as a biological weapon and that Chinese officials weren’t aware of the virus before the initial outbreak. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 27 Aug. 2021 But the numbers and message in the Biden budget explain why that won’t be as easy politically as Fed officials aver. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 2 June 2021 The newspaper publisher and lexicographer Noah Webster averred that the pestilence emanated from the ash of a volcanic eruption in Sicily. Frederick Kaufman, The New Yorker, 13 May 2020 The management avers that a 52-week season is no longer viable, and that the orchestra needs to reduce to a 40-week season to survive. Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2019 That premise would aver that the 1960s, one of the most turbulent and traumatic decades in this country’s recent history, ended on December 31, 1970. al, 19 Nov. 2019 See More
Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 28 Aug. 2022 And some aver that crime isn’t the problem at all, but the need for police reform is. Joseph Epstein, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2022 But the good news, optimists aver, is that China's authoritarian political system enables swift and decisive action. Clay Chandler And Grady Mcgregor, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2021 Our spies also aver that the virus wasn’t developed as a biological weapon and that Chinese officials weren’t aware of the virus before the initial outbreak. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 27 Aug. 2021 But the numbers and message in the Biden budget explain why that won’t be as easy politically as Fed officials aver. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 2 June 2021 The newspaper publisher and lexicographer Noah Webster averred that the pestilence emanated from the ash of a volcanic eruption in Sicily. Frederick Kaufman, The New Yorker, 13 May 2020 The management avers that a 52-week season is no longer viable, and that the orchestra needs to reduce to a 40-week season to survive. Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2019 That premise would aver that the 1960s, one of the most turbulent and traumatic decades in this country’s recent history, ended on December 31, 1970. al, 19 Nov. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English averren, from Anglo-French averer, from Medieval Latin adverare to confirm as authentic, from Latin ad- + verus true — more at very entry 2
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Legal Definition
aver
transitive verb
ə-ˈvər
averred; averring
: to assert or declare positively especially in a pleading : allege
not necessary to aver the capacity of a party to sue U.S. Code
U.S. Codeaverring
verb
1
as in alleging
to state as a fact usually forcefully was tearfully averring his innocence Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- alleging
- insisting
- claiming
- asserting
- declaring
- contending
- affirming
- maintaining
- avowing
- announcing
- professing
- proclaiming
- protesting
- arguing
- purporting
- reasoning
- confirming
- defending
- warranting
- justifying
- vindicating
- avouching
- putting forth
- broadcasting
- rationalizing
- reaffirming
- upholding
- persevering
- reasserting
- supporting
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- denying
- repudiating
- rejecting
- abandoning
- disclaiming
- disavowing
- negating
- refuting
- gainsaying
- rebutting
- disproving
- questioning
- disputing
- challenging
- contradicting
- disowning
- negativing
- countering
- confuting
2
as in declaring
to state clearly and strongly averred that she didn't need any help choosing her own clothes Synonyms & Similar Words
- declaring
- asserting
- professing
- proclaiming
- affirming
- avowing
- announcing
- saying
- guaranteeing
- explaining
- justifying
- defending
- promoting
- pronouncing
- emphasizing
- convincing
- upholding
- laying down
- advertising
- assuring
- avouching
- advocating
- underscoring
- stressing
- underlining
- advancing
- publicizing
- championing
- accentuating
- reaffirming
- supporting
- boosting
- accenting
- plugging
- persuading
- reasserting
- blazing
- espousing
- calling
- rationalizing
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- minimizing
- ignoring
- disregarding
- neglecting
- understating
- overlooking