dying declaration

noun

A statement that would normally be deemed inadmissible as evidence in a court of law as hearsay, but is deemed admissible because it was made by a person who believed himself to be dying, is about the circumstances of that person's death, and (in some cases) was followed by that person's actual death.

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Meanings

noundying declaration (plural dying declarations)

plural dying declarations

  1. lawA statement that would normally be deemed inadmissible as evidence in a court of law as hearsay, but is deemed admissible because it was made by a person who believed himself to be dying, is about the circumstances of that person's death, and (in some cases) was followed by that person's actual death.
Cite this entry
APA

dying declaration. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dying%20declaration

MLA

“dying declaration.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dying%20declaration. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dying declaration,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dying%20declaration.

Source: dying declaration on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.