AVOW

to declare boldly

to state positively

to say as something you believe to be right

to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true

admit openly and bluntly

SYN - aver, affirm, assert, swear, verify

"I will right now avow that accepting this merger is what we must do."

"Whereas most of the other experts on the topic had been opposed to the idea, the scientist he was doing research under had avowed that this was the best way to get the results they wanted."

"Little did he know then that later on that day in a speech he would avow that the idea he was entertaining now was ludicrous."