adduce

American  

[uh-doos, uh-dyoos] / əˈdus, əˈdyus /

verb (used with object)

adduced, adducing

1. to bring forward in argument or as evidence; cite as pertinent or conclusive.

   to adduce reasons in support of a constitutional amendment.

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adduce British  

/ əˈdjuːs, əˈdʌkʃən /

verb

1. (tr) to cite (reasons, examples, etc) as evidence or proof

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Other Word Forms

• adduceable adjective
• adducent adjective
• adducer noun
• adducible adjective
• adduction noun
• unadduceable adjective
• unadduced adjective
• unadducible adjective

Etymology

Origin of adduce

1610–20; < Latin addūcere to bring into, equivalent to ad- ad- + dūcere to lead

Explanation

When you adduce something, you offer proof in support of an argument. If you’re trying to prove that you didn’t eat the last cookie, you might adduce the fact that your dog’s mouth is covered in cookie crumbs. The word adduce comes from the Latin adducere, which means "to lead or bring along." If you were a lawyer, you might adduce, or bring forth, a witness in order to help your case. You might also adduce a piece of evidence, like a fact, to help with your argument. You might think of the word add to help you remember the definition of adduce: when you adduce something, you are adding to an argument by offering proof.

Example Sentences

It would require a forensic accountant to adduce the amount extracted, but how much did Al Lord make from my payments?

From Salon • Aug. 14, 2021

The rhetorical challenge is to adduce a unity—akin to herding cats—among a multitude of self-centered interests and causes.

From The New Yorker • May 20, 2019

Commentators are already attempting to adduce the reasons for the decline in obesity in this age, pointing to the dietary changes in preschool menus, awareness campaigns, and exercise programs that specifically target tots.

From Slate • Feb. 28, 2014

You can adduce all kinds of comedy and critical distance to Ms. Cyrus’s public pose, but there’s an earnestness in it, too, an almost boring will to transgress.

From New York Times • Dec. 15, 2013

But through the influence of their teacher, necessity, the ego instincts soon learn to adduce some qualification to the principle of pleasure.

From A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Freud, Sigmund