confirm
Americanverb (used with object)
-
confirms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
confirmed,
past participle, past
-
confirming
present participle
-
to establish the truth, accuracy, validity, or genuineness of; corroborate; verify.
This report confirms my suspicions.
- Synonyms:
- validate, authenticate, substantiate, prove
- Antonyms:
- disprove
-
to acknowledge with definite assurance.
Did the hotel confirm our room reservation?
-
to make valid or binding by some formal or legal act; sanction; ratify.
to confirm a treaty;
to confirm her appointment to the Supreme Court.
- Antonyms:
- invalidate
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to make firm or more firm; add strength to; settle or establish firmly.
Their support confirmed my determination to run for mayor.
- Synonyms:
- fix
- Antonyms:
- shake
-
to strengthen (a person) in habit, resolution, opinion, etc..
The accident confirmed him in his fear of driving.
-
to administer the religious rite of confirmation to.
verb
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(may take a clause as object) to prove to be true or valid; corroborate; verify
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(may take a clause as object) to assert for a second or further time, so as to make more definite
he confirmed that he would appear in court
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to strengthen or make more firm
his story confirmed my doubts
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to make valid by a formal act or agreement; ratify
-
to administer the rite of confirmation to
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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confirmabilitynoun
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confirmernoun
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unconfirmabilitynoun
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preconfirmverb (used with object)
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reconfirmverb (used with object)
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unconfirmverb (used with object)
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confirmableadjective
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confirmatoryadjective
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nonconfirmingadjective
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confirminglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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confirmsimple
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confirmssimple
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have confirmedperfect
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has confirmedperfect
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am confirmingprogressive
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are confirmingprogressive
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is confirmingprogressive
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have been confirmingperfect progressive
-
has been confirmingperfect progressive
Past
-
confirmedsimple
-
had confirmedperfect
-
was confirmingprogressive
-
were confirmingprogressive
-
had been confirmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of confirm
First recorded in 1250–1300; from Latin confirmāre “to strengthen, confirm” ( see con-, firm 1); replacing Middle English confermen, from Old French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
When you need to make sure before you leave that you have a reservation, you often call ahead to confirm, that is, to make sure that your tickets or space are set aside for you. The firm in confirm should give you a clue as to the word's meaning: to shore up or verify something. When you make sure something is set, or firm, you confirm it. The word comes from the Latin con- "together, altogether," and firmāre "make firm," so confirm originally meant roughly "to make (something) altogether firm."
Vocabulary lists containing confirm
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 2
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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:
Alex Hernandez, deputy press secretary for the attorney general, said he could not confirm whether the office investigated the complaint against the 1736 FCC because that information was considered confidential.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
He would not confirm if he had sources within the UK intelligence community.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
If further studies confirm the importance of exercise frequency, the findings could eventually influence how public health organizations advise people to stay active.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
When Frances hands Jeff documents that confirm Facebook knows all about Instagram’s negative impact on teenagers, she urges him, “Get it out there, before they start marketing Instagram Kids.”
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
He could easily show one to Judith, at which point she would confirm that it was me she had seen.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
If further research confirms its safety and effectiveness, the technology could reduce the need for more invasive procedures while making advanced nerve stimulation treatments easier to deliver.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
When a lawman confirms to Cal the rumor that Cathy, known by then as the nearby town’s madam, Kate, shot his father, Cal muses, “He must have done something to hurt her.”
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Rams coach Sean McVay confirms Aaron Donald will play Monday against the New York Giants, but star wide receiver Puka Nacua is listed as questionable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
The party said that if evidence confirms the scheme "pays its way", this would be extended to visitors from the EU by the end of the next Parliament.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Recent scientific evidence, such as DNA testing, confirms that Jefferson or some male in his family fathered the children of Sally Hemings.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Yorkshire Wildlife Park said their "thoughts and heartfelt sympathies" were with the man's family and confirmed the rare Amur tiger, called Altai, remained in the enclosure and would not be euthanised.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
The agency also confirmed a drone attack on a tanker near Oman’s Sohar anchorage Sunday, which left two Indian crew members missing, according to Indian authorities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Later observations with the Hubble Space Telescope helped establish its distance of approximately 10.4 billion light-years and confirmed that the cluster appeared unusually developed for its age.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Researchers at Colorado State University confirmed Monday that storms this summer have generated a higher level of accumulated cyclone energy than ever recorded, surpassing the prior seasonal record set in 2018.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Mary Todd Lincoln burst into the room, and the bright gaslight confirmed to her that this was not a nightmare as she hoped it was—this was real.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
The 64-year-old “Ace Ventura” star married Ah in an intimate ceremony in Los Angeles, with a representative for the actor confirming the nuptials to People.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
The researchers also found that the intervention reduced a mechanical measure associated with pressure on the inner knee, confirming that the altered walking pattern had effects beyond participants' perceptions of pain.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
Country western star Wynonna Judd is confirming that she and her sister, Emmy Award-nominated actor Ashley Judd, do not have a relationship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Surely they should be confirming the changes in the calendar now?
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Eddington observed the bending of starlight during a solar eclipse, confirming one of those predictions.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
