Synonyms

validate

American

[val-i-deyt] / ˈvæl ɪˌdeɪt /

verb (used with object)

to make valid; substantiate; confirm.

Time validated our suspicions.

Synonyms:

prove, verify, authenticate

Antonyms:

disprove
to give legal force to; legalize.
to give official sanction, confirmation, or approval to, as elected officials, election procedures, documents, etc..

to validate a passport.

validate British

/ ˈvælɪˌdeɪt /

verb

to confirm or corroborate
to give legal force or official confirmation to; declare legally valid

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of validate

First recorded in 1640–50; from Medieval Latin validātus (past participle of validāre “to make valid”), equivalent to valid- ( see valid) + -ātus past participle suffix ( see -ate ¹)

Explanation

To validate is to prove that something is based on truth or fact, or is acceptable. It can also mean to make something, like a contract, legal. You may need someone to validate your feelings, which means that you want to hear, “No, you’re not crazy. It’s acceptable to be angry about that.” Or you may need someone to validate your parking ticket — which means you have to prove that you bought something, so you can get parking for free. Whatever it is you are seeking to validate needs the added support or action from someone else to make it valid.

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Vocabulary lists containing validate

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Beyond the current demonstrations, the work supports NASA's broader effort to develop and validate commercial communications architectures that could support missions in low Earth orbit and eventually farther into space.

From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2026

While Baron Partners claims to have just under 30% of its money invested in SpaceX, Musk’s company is still privately owned, and there is no clear way to validate that number.

From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026

He asked the community for continued patience over the next few hours as crews worked to validate the initial data they were seeing regarding temperature stabilization.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

The company provides hardware, software, and services needed to develop, validate, and manufacture different technologies.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

I made excuses for him, desperate to validate the reasons he chose to work with me.

From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023