authenticate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to establish as genuine.
- Synonyms:
- substantiate, validate, confirm
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to establish the authorship or origin of conclusively or unquestionably, chiefly by the techniques of scholarship.
to authenticate a painting.
-
to make authoritative or valid.
verb
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to establish as genuine or valid
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to give authority or legal validity to
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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authenticationnoun
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authenticatornoun
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nonauthenticationnoun
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reauthenticateverb (used with object)
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authenticatableadjective
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nonauthenticatedadjective
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self-authenticatingadjective
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unauthenticatedadjective
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well-authenticatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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authenticatesimple
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authenticatessimple
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have authenticatedperfect
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has authenticatedperfect
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am authenticatingprogressive
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are authenticatingprogressive
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is authenticatingprogressive
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have been authenticatingperfect progressive
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has been authenticatingperfect progressive
Past
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authenticatedsimple
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had authenticatedperfect
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was authenticatingprogressive
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were authenticatingprogressive
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had been authenticatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of authenticate
First recorded in 1565–75; from Medieval Latin authenticātus “made authentic” (past participle of authenticāre ). See authentic, -ate 1
Explanation
When you authenticate something, you establish that it’s the real thing. If you authenticate a painting, for example, you’re sure that it's an original work, not a copy. The verb authenticate came into English in the seventeenth century by way of the Latin word authenticat-, meaning “established as valid.” You’ve probably heard it to mean that a valuable item, like a diamond or a rare vase, is genuine. But not everything that has to be authenticated is worth a lot of money. For example, experts authenticate evidence in an investigation and you authenticate your identity to gain access to your email account.
Vocabulary lists containing authenticate
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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.
See Examples For:
The stores could become locations to collect and authenticate items from eBay sellers, for example, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
"In this study we show how to authenticate a biomarker, verifying that a signal truly comes from life rather than contamination or non-biological chemistry," Shawar adds.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 27, 2026
Companies like Beckett Grading Services and Professional Sports Authenticator, or PSA, which authenticate and grade the quality of collectible sports cards, now do the same with Pokemon cards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2026
AFP was not immediately able to authenticate these soundbites.
From Barron's ● Jan. 2, 2026
Would it be contrary to medical ethics in the HeLa cell’s coming-of-age year to authenticate the name and let He .
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Paul’s card was graded 10 by Professional Sports Authenticators, or PSA, a third-party service that authenticates and grades trading cards and other collectibles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2026
One of those companies was Quest, the maker of OneLogin software that authenticates employees logging into their work platforms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026
Although a fantastically informative dive that also authenticates much of the movie’s narrative, I do question a serious expose about Oppenheimer using Bill Nye as a science authority source.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
He authenticates documents across the world and said the Smith counterfeits still cause confusion for experts and collectors.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2023
All this authenticates the song, which thereupon establishes the miraculous deliverance that inspired it.
From The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Exodus by Chadwick, G. A.
However, there was an intriguing postscript when the ball itself - or at least one purporting to be so, which was authenticated by Sobers - was sold at auction by Christie's for £26,400.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The newly authenticated hat will serve as the centrepiece of an exhibition devoted to the art collections of Napoleon's sister, opening in early June.
From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026
The next day, the open-source research outfit Bellingcat said it had authenticated a video showing a Tomahawk missile strike next to the school in Minab.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2026
“But it lacks a large-scale authenticated consumer network, consumer brand and the data flywheel that a two-sided network could provide.”
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 24, 2026
I kept my hunch a secret but had the manuscript authenticated by an expert.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Many people have become accustomed to using their phones at checkout, authenticating themselves with a fingerprint or their face.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Rather than authenticating the tag, a better security solution is to authenticate the item itself, Han says.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 19, 2024
Evidently authenticating the footage, Mayor Karen Bass confirmed to TV station NBC4 that people were seen parachuting off the building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
Law enforcement agencies and telecommunications companies may play a role in preventing the crimes in the future as well by making improvements in authenticating and tracing the source of calls, Mr Steinberg said.
From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2024
Their right to quit work was not conceded: they lacked that authenticating credential of moral and legal irresponsibility, an indurated palm.
From The Shadow On The Dial, and Other Essays 1909 by Howes, S. O. (Silas Orrin)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
