corroborate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
corroborates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
corroborated,
past participle, past
-
corroborating
present participle
adjective
verb
adjective
-
serving to corroborate a fact, an opinion, etc
-
(of a fact) corroborated
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
corroborationnoun
-
corroboratornoun
-
corroborativeadjective
-
corroboratoryadjective
-
noncorroboratingadjective
-
noncorroborativeadjective
-
noncorroboratoryadjective
-
uncorroboratedadjective
-
uncorroborativeadjective
-
uncorroboratoryadjective
-
corroborativelyadverb
-
corroboratorilyadverb
-
noncorroborativelyadverb
-
uncorroborativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
corroboratesimple
-
corroboratessimple
-
have corroboratedperfect
-
has corroboratedperfect
-
am corroboratingprogressive
-
are corroboratingprogressive
-
is corroboratingprogressive
-
have been corroboratingperfect progressive
-
has been corroboratingperfect progressive
Past
-
corroboratedsimple
-
had corroboratedperfect
-
was corroboratingprogressive
-
were corroboratingprogressive
-
had been corroboratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of corroborate
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin corrōborātus, past participle of corrōborāre “to strengthen,” equivalent to cor- “with, together” + rōbor(āre) “to make strong” (derivative of rōbor, rōbur “oak” hence, “strength”) + -ātus past participle suffix; see cor-, robust, -ate 1
Compare meaning
How does corroborate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
To corroborate is to back someone else’s story. If you swear to your teacher that you didn't throw the spitball, and your friends corroborate your story by promising that you were concentrating on math homework, she might actually believe you. For example, a witness in court corroborates the testimony of others, and further experimentation can corroborate a scientific theory. Near synonyms are substantiate and confirm. Corroborate, originally meaning "to support or strengthen," was borrowed from Latin corrōborāre, formed from the prefix cor- "completely" plus rōborāre "to strengthen" (from rōbur "strength").
Vocabulary lists containing corroborate
The Crucible
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Grade 10, List 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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 hardly surprising that journalists would be interested in trying to corroborate her account.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Swarthmore College was recently unable to corroborate a few applications claiming an astonishing number of academic and athletic feats, said admission director Isthier Chaudhury.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Not only can their arrival time suggest that they dwelt with other particles for a negative amount of time, but if one asks those other particles, they will corroborate the story.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
The paper says the force could not originally progress the case brought to it by Sophia Stone, now 58, because there was no evidence to corroborate her account.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
He looked at me anxiously as if he hoped I'd corroborate this.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
"An eyewitness account of about 20 'geese' taking flight and heading toward the river just minutes before a loud bang was heard corroborates geese in the area shortly before the crash."
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
Reporting corroborates crew reports and helps ensure airline maintenance teams are aware of aircraft that might need servicing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
But for Dyne, Matteis believes the deal for Avidity is “highly validating,” as it corroborates the expected value of muscle-delivery technology and the attractiveness of the markets for even rare diseases like DMD.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2025
However, she responded by saying the footage of the pair filming a slow dance is "damning" and corroborates her claims.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2025
“It corroborates what Marietta and I found out earlier,” Louis said.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
It all speaks to the power of a well-timed movie, since much of the reporting in “NAZA” has already been published by the Guardian, a co-producer of the documentary, and corroborated by other news outlets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
OSC said it corroborated information from the hack with customs records, court filings and other sources.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Prosecutors argued its highly-detailed contents could be corroborated to an extent unlikely with a fabricated confession.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Farage and Reform UK told British media that he did not declare this because it was a personal gift to pay for his personal security, which the Thai-based Harborne corroborated.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
And his eyes, large warm brown irises set on whites that were turning yellow, corroborated this.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Meanwhile, Britain’s Labour government stalled on corroborating its ally’s assertions while Labour held its annual conference and rallied to a new prime minister, Andy Burnham.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
"We've had enough other corroborating data... to confirm that those vessels were clearly out there," Poling said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
After corroborating these reports, investigators later combed through an area equivalent to 35 Melbourne Cricket Grounds.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
This is Epstein’s version, but she seems to be, in the email, kind of corroborating what Epstein is saying about Trump being there.
From Slate ● Nov. 24, 2025
“I think it’s a corroborating witness,” Frank said.
From "A Monster of a Mystery (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #5)" by Franklin W. Dixon
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
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.
