verify
Americanverb (used with object)
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verifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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verified,
past participle, past
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verifying
present participle
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to prove the truth of, as by evidence or testimony; confirm; substantiate.
Events verified his prediction.
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to ascertain the truth or correctness of, as by examination, research, or comparison.
to verify a spelling.
- Synonyms:
- validate, authenticate
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to act as ultimate proof or evidence of; serve to confirm.
-
Law.
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to prove or confirm (an allegation).
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to state to be true, especially in legal use, formally or upon oath.
-
verb
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to prove to be true; confirm; substantiate
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to check or determine the correctness or truth of by investigation, reference, etc
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law to add a verification to (a pleading); substantiate or confirm (an oath)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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unverifiabilitynoun
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verifiabilitynoun
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verifiablenessnoun
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verifiernoun
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preverifyverb (used with object)
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reverifyverb (used with object)
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nonverifiableadjective
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unverifiableadjective
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verifiableadjective
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verifiablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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verifysimple
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verifiessimple
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have verifiedperfect
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has verifiedperfect
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am verifyingprogressive
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are verifyingprogressive
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is verifyingprogressive
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have been verifyingperfect progressive
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has been verifyingperfect progressive
Past
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verifiedsimple
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had verifiedperfect
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was verifyingprogressive
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were verifyingprogressive
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had been verifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of verify
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English verifien, from Middle French verifier, from Medieval Latin vērificāre, from vēri- (combining form of vērus “true”) + -ficāre -fy
Explanation
When you verify something, you show that it's true. Do you have a photograph to verify your claim that there's a dinosaur in your backyard? Physical evidence and records are often used to verify what's happened. Your receipt verifies that you purchased the tall, striped hat you'd now like to return. You can also verify something verbally. Can you verify that your cat was home all evening on the night of the canary's "accident"?
Vocabulary lists containing verify
List 1
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Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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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:
It is more important than ever to verify that your doctors and other healthcare providers are included in your plan, because hospital systems are increasingly breaking off their Medicare Advantage ties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
“We open the containers, verify and see what merchandise has been switched out.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The Hindu newspaper said as many as 3,000 protesters had been detained, although it was not immediately possible to verify that number.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
AFP has not been able to verify the reports.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
“Would your girlfriend happen to be around here to verify that?”
From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
OpenAI published its findings along with the 165-page proof and a formalization that verifies the argument step by step.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
It verifies the signer’s identity and legal authority to complete the transaction, and — this is the key part — makes the issuing financial institution financially liable if the signature proves to be fraudulent.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
It verifies Gloria’s singing talent and proves a perfect match for her showy, cagey persona: the love child of Marlene Dietrich and Sally Bowles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
GeoConfirmed, a volunteer-driven open-source intelligence project that verifies visuals from conflicts around the globe, also urged Google to reconsider.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
What is here and now, not future "workings," not past expectations, but the present--this is what he more immediately gets and verifies.
From The Sources Of Religious Insight by Josiah Royce
The prediction became known as the Aharonov-Bohm effect and was eventually verified in experiments involving real electrons.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
AFP has not independently verified the authenticity of the call.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Another verified video shows damage to cars and what appears to be rubble and a fallen tree in an area surrounded by apartment blocks in Kremenchuk.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
It says it bases its decisions on information from gold refiners, verified by auditors, but doesn’t carry out mine inspections itself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
We must not allow them to be verified in sweet Jane Fairfax.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
He said the traditional approach to mitigating insider risk relies on verifying someone’s identity and then trusting that what they do afterward is legitimate, which can miss cases where the threat develops over time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said authorities are "verifying the facts" and will "respond appropriately" thereafter.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
“There’s something to be said about the staff work, and verifying before we do something like that publicly,” Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst told Raw Story.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026
But verifying AI agreements may prove harder than verifying arms-control agreements.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
A man with a clipboard made final inspections, independently verifying the measurements, then approved it for use.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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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.
