Affirm

to state or -ssert positively; maintain as true:
to affirm one’s loyalty to one’s country; he affirmed that all was well.
to confirm or ratify:
the appellate court affirmed the judgment of the lower court.
to -ssert solemnly:
he affirmed his innocence.
to express agreement with or commitment to; uphold; support:
to affirm human rights.
law.

to state something solemnly before a court or magistrate, but without oath.
to ratify and accept a voidable transaction.
(of an appellate court) to determine that the action of the lower court shall stand.

contemporary examples

it looks like the courts are getting ready to affirm a controversial ruling that could cause argentina to default once again.
argentina goes to court (again) megan mcardle february 27, 2013

they are demanding that the rest of us affirm their bad theology and codify it in the law.
are opponents of arizona’s anti-gay law eager to deceive? kirsten powers march 2, 2014

so when we progress, when we affirm ourselves, we should not threaten them.
transcript: thomas friedman interviews hillary clinton and christine lagarde april 4, 2014

advocates claimed that it helped to preserve virtue and to affirm the application of sharia law.
saudi activist m-n-l al-sharif on why she removed the veil m-n-l al sharif, advancing human rights october 29, 2014

like soul surfer, the project was developed by affirm films, and marketed heavily to the christian community.
indie films’ religious war marlow stern july 20, 2011

historical examples

on the other hand, i affirm, we do know whence we come and whither we go!
the life of john sterling thomas carlyle

dear scott,—far be it from me to affirm that there are no diviners in the land.
memoirs of the life of sir walter scott, volume i (of 10) john gibson lockhart

it would be idle either to affirm or to deny that the last half-century has produced men of science of the calibre of newton.
the advance of science in the last half-century t.h. (thomas henry) huxley

but he hesitated to affirm any essential inferiority in the negro race.
the negro and the nation george s. merriam

imprison him as a criminal, and i affirm to you that he will be lost.
justice (second series plays) john galsworthy

verb (mainly transitive)
(may take a clause as object) to declare to be true; -ssert positively
to uphold, confirm, or ratify
(intransitive) (law) to make an affirmation
v.

c.1300, from old french afermier (modern french affirmer) “affirm, confirm; strengthen, consolidate,” from latin affirmare “to make steady, strengthen,” figuratively “confirm, corroborate,” from ad- “to” (see ad-) + firmare “strengthen, make firm,” from firmus “strong” (see firm (adj.)). spelling refashioned 16c. in french and english on latin model. related: affirmed; affirming.