{
    "term": "testify",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "testify",
            "heSheIt": "testifies"
        },
        "pastSimple": "testified",
        "pastParticiple": "testified",
        "ingForm": "testifying"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to make a statement that something happened or that something is true, especially as a witness in court",
            "sensetop": "testify against somebody/somethingtestify for somebody/somethingtestify about somethingtestify to something/to doing somethingtestify (that)…+ speech",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She refused to testify against her husband.",
                    "contextForm": "testify against somebody/something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "There are several witnesses who will testify for the defence.",
                    "contextForm": "testify for somebody/something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He was summoned to testify before a grand jury about his role in the affair.",
                    "contextForm": "testify about something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Evans testified to receiving $200 000 in bribes.",
                    "contextForm": "testify to something/to doing something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He testified (that) he was at the theatre at the time of the murder.",
                    "contextForm": "testify (that)…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "‘I was approached by a man I did not recognize,’ she testified.",
                    "contextForm": "+ speech"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a Mafia member who was prepared to testify for the authorities"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Several witnesses have come forward to testify against her."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She was unwilling to testify before Congress."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The president's former aides were called to testify at his trial."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The basis for the perjury conviction was he had testified falsely under oath."
                },
                {
                    "text": "A senior officer testified to the existence of police hit squads."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Law and justice"],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["falsely", "truthfully", "publicly"],
                "verb + testify": [
                    "ask somebody to",
                    "call somebody to",
                    "call upon somebody to"
                ],
                "preposition": ["against", "before", "for"],
                "phrases": ["testify in court", "testify under oath"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to say that you believe something is true because you have evidence of it",
            "sensetop": "testify (that)…",
            "labels": "(formal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Too many young people are unable to write or spell well, as employers will testify."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to express your belief in God publicly",
            "labels": "(especially North American English)",
            "examples": []
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈtestɪfaɪ/",
                "audio": "te/testify/testify__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈtestɪfaɪz/",
                "audio": "te/testify/testifies__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈtestɪfaɪd/",
                "audio": "te/testify/testified__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈtestɪfaɪɪŋ/",
                "audio": "te/testify/testifying__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈtestɪfaɪ/",
                "audio": "te/testify/testify__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈtestɪfaɪz/",
                "audio": "te/testify/testifies__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈtestɪfaɪd/",
                "audio": "te/testify/testified__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈtestɪfaɪɪŋ/",
                "audio": "te/testify/testifying__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late Middle English: from Latin testificari, from testis ‘a witness’."
}