Meaning of affirm in English

affirm

verb [ T ]

formal

/əˈfɝːm/ uk

/əˈfɜːm/

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to state something as true:

[ + (that) ] The suspect affirmed (that) he had been at home all evening.

She affirmed her intention to apply for the post.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

to say something

sayWhen I say your name, raise your hand.
utterShe barely uttered a word all morning.
they sayThey say the house is haunted.
it is saidIt is said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
stateUnion members stated that they were unhappy with the proposal.
remarkHe remarked that she was looking thin.

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to publicly show your support for an opinion or idea:

The government has affirmed its commitment to equal rights.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Assertions & asserting

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Announcing, informing & stating

Related word

affirmation

(Definition of affirm from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

affirm | Intermediate English

affirm

verb

/əˈfɜrm/

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to state something is true, or to state your support for an idea, opinion, etc.:

[ T ] Applicants signed a form affirming their citizenship.

[ + that clause ] These stories affirmed that the world is strange.

affirmation

noun [ C/U ] us

/ˌæf·ərˈmeɪ·ʃən/

[ U ] We’re looking for affirmation of the city’s goal.

(Definition of affirm from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of affirm

affirm

We affirm that we share in each other's destiny.

From Huffington Post

But she also affirms that she hasn't cheated, despite how awkward it can get.

From NPR

This often prompts an individual to perform his or her own life review process to affirm that life had meaning and value.

From Huffington Post

They have retained the superstitious outlook and yet do not want to engage or present anything more broadly life affirming.

From Huffington Post

But you still see these effects, regardless of whether what was affirmed matches what was violated.

From The Atlantic

Monday's circuit court ruling affirmed a lower court's ruling.

From Washington Post

He pressed ahead with his message and connected with voters -- and they responded by delivering a stunning, decisive margin affirming his potential.

From The Atlantic

However, some psychologists argue that selfies can be affirming, despite sometimes belying our more self-involved tendencies.

From Huffington Post

This represents a 9 percent jump from the 79 percent of respondents who affirmed the same position last year.

From VentureBeat

When the justices tie, it means the lower court decision is affirmed, without opinion issued.

From OCRegister

But last to do it affirmed in 1978.

From ABC News

A public policy affirmed by voters, by courts and, most important, by dying people.

From OregonLive.com

When we verbally affirm our dreams and ambitions, we are instantly empowered with a deep sense of reassurance that our wishful words will become reality.

From Huffington Post

A recent analysis of papers in the climate science literature showed that 97 percent of all published studies reached conclusions affirming anthropocentric climate change.

From NPR

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of affirm?

Translations of affirm

in Chinese (Traditional)

證實, 確認, 斷言…

Meaning of affirm in English

Related word

affirm | Intermediate English

affirmation

Examples of affirm

Translations of affirm

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