Meaning & use
averring
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“averring” is a form of “aver”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitiveformalliterary
The -ing form of aver: stating something firmly as true, especially without proof.
Grammar: Often takes a that clause: averring that he was innocent; also takes an object.
Patterns
- aver that something is true
- aver something
The witness testified for an hour, averring that she had never met the defendant.
He wrote a letter averring his loyalty to the company.
Averring that the data were accurate, the scientist refused to retract the study.
verbtransitivelegal
In law, formally stating in a court document that a fact is true, so it can be proven or relied on.
Grammar: Takes a that clause: the plaintiff is averring that the contract was breached.
Patterns
- aver that something happened
The claim was filed averring that the landlord had ignored repair requests.
The lawyer drafted a statement averring that her client lacked the funds.
Word forms
| base form | aver |
|---|---|
| third person singular | avers |
| past tense | averred |
| past participle | averred |
Common combinations
- averring that
- She sat there averring that the report was wrong.
- averring innocence
- The defendant kept averring his innocence.
- averring under oath
- He was averring under oath that he saw the accident.
- stoutly averring
- He remained stoutly averring that he was right.
Synonyms and how they differ
- asserting
- It is more general, while averring sounds more formal and often suggests a legal or sworn statement.
- declaring
- It stresses making a public statement, whereas averring stresses that the speaker insists it is true.
- claiming
- It suggests something that may not be proven, while averring suggests firm confidence.
- maintaining
- It means continuing to say something despite doubt, a slightly softer sense than averring.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: averring or averting?
averring vs averting
Averting means preventing or turning away something like a crisis, which is unrelated to stating something is true.
Practice
The suspect spent an hour ___ that he had been at home all evening.
Choose one answer.
Averring that means stating firmly that something is true. Averting means preventing, so it would not take a that clause about a claim.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “averring”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.