demonstration
Americannoun
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demonstrations
plural
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the act or circumstance of proving or being proved conclusively, as by reasoning or a show of evidence.
a belief incapable of demonstration.
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something serving as proof or supporting evidence.
They sent a check as a demonstration of their concern.
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a description or explanation, as of a process, illustrated by examples, specimens, or the like.
a demonstration of methods of refining ore.
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the act of exhibiting the operation or use of a device, machine, process, product, or the like, as to a prospective buyer.
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an exhibition, as of feeling; display; manifestation.
His demonstration of affection was embarrassing.
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a public exhibition of the attitude of a group of persons toward a controversial issue, or other matter, made by picketing, parading, etc.
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a show of military force or of offensive operations made to deceive an enemy.
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Mathematics. a logical presentation of the way in which given assumptions imply a certain result; proof.
noun
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the act of demonstrating
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proof or evidence leading to proof
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an explanation, display, illustration, or experiment showing how something works
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a manifestation of grievances, support, or protest by public rallies, parades, etc
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a manifestation of emotion
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a show of military force or preparedness
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maths a logical presentation of the assumptions and equations used in solving a problem or proving a theorem
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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counterdemonstrationnoun
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demonstrationistnoun
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predemonstrationnoun
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redemonstrationnoun
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subdemonstrationnoun
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superdemonstrationnoun
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demonstrationaladjective
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undemonstrationaladjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of demonstration
1325–75; Middle English demonstracioun < Latin dēmonstrātiōn- (stem of dēmonstrātiō, equivalent to dēmonstrāt ( us ) ( see demonstrate) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A demonstration is a show, or display. If you are against war, you might go to an anti-war demonstration in front of the White House. You might need to see a demonstration of napkin folding before you take a job as a waitress. Dressing well for a job interview and showing up on time is considered a demonstration of your seriousness about the job. Crying is a demonstration of your feelings. If you sell website design you can make a demonstration site, or demo, so clients can see what they would get if they hired you.
Vocabulary lists containing demonstration
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 31-40
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Twelve Days in May
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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:
Thursday’s demonstration at a SpaceX test site in Texas made good on a longtime promise from Chief Executive Elon Musk that the next Roadster would be capable of flight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
I had invited them into my apartment expecting an awkward demonstration, but the work was remarkably thorough and spared me from having to do it myself.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The main demonstration outside parliament by thousands of university students and staff, trade unionists and opposition activists remained peaceful.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
A further demonstration of her ex-husband's cruelty came, Amal says, when she heard him tell a family member to "wash off our disgrace" if he was arrested.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Beneath them, spanning the breadth of the stage, were eight demonstration boards, where the moves of the games were to be displayed.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The Roadster was first unveiled by Musk in late 2017, but Tesla repeatedly pushed back planned demonstrations of its progress.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The new demonstrations were announced as a student movement, ostensibly demanding action by the government to help with the high cost of education fees and books - and the higher cost of living.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Saturday’s demonstrations will be different, focusing instead on voter-participation drives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
She spoke after Macron held his weekly meeting with his cabinet, a day after nationwide solidarity demonstrations showed significant support for the students.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
On the one hand, we use the word to refer to proofs, deductions and demonstrations in mathematics, geometry and logic.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
