corroborate

[ verb kuh-rob-uh-reyt; adjective kuh-rob-er-it ]

/ verb kəˈrɒb əˌreɪt; adjective kəˈrɒb ər ɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR corroborate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), cor·rob·o·rat·ed, cor·rob·o·rat·ing.

to make more certain; confirm: He corroborated my account of the accident.

adjective

Archaic. confirmed.

Nearby words

Origin of corroborate

1520–30; < Latin corrōborātus past participle of corrōborāre to strengthen, equivalent to cor- cor- + rōbor(āre) to make strong (derivative of rōbor, rōbur oak (hence, strength); see robust) + -ātus -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR corroborate

1. verify, authenticate, support, validate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR corroborate ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

cor·rob·o·ra·tive

[kuh-rob-uh-rey-tiv, -er-uh-tiv] /kəˈrɒb əˌreɪ tɪv, -ər ə tɪv/, cor·rob·o·ra·to·ry, adjectivecor·rob·o·ra·tive·ly, cor·rob·o·ra·to·ri·ly, adverbcor·rob·o·ra·tor, nounnon·cor·rob·o·rat·ing, adjective

non·cor·rob·o·ra·tive, adjectivenon·cor·rob·o·ra·tive·ly, adverbnon·cor·rob·o·ra·to·ry, adjectiveun·cor·rob·o·rat·ed, adjectiveun·cor·rob·o·ra·tive, adjectiveun·cor·rob·o·ra·tive·ly, adverbun·cor·rob·o·ra·to·ry, adjective

Can be confusedcollaborate corroborate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for corroborate

But, Digital Globe satellite images dated March 17, 2014, corroborate their stories.
The Forgotten Genocidal War in Darfur Revealed in New Satellite Photos|Akshaya Kumar , Jacinth Planer|March 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
(Read More on the Crisis in Ukraine) Old, numerous and bipartisan are the tales that corroborate this dreary hypothesis.
Britain’s KGB Sugar Daddy|Michael Weiss|March 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of course, the only reason we retell the story is precisely the data did corroborate Einstein's theory.
How Do We Know a Theory is Correct?|David Frum|April 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Other witnesses came forward to corroborate her testimony, although they refused to appear on camera.
BBC Director-General Faces Parliament in Jimmy Savile Affair. Can the BBC Restore Its Reputation?|Peter Jukes|October 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Daisey appears to have intentionally misled the producers and to have lied about his ability to corroborate his story.
The Conning of ‘This American Life’ Leads to an Embarrassing Retraction|Philip Bump|March 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
We could adduce many instances to corroborate this assertion.
The Mirror of Taste, and Dramatic Censor, Vol. I, No. 4, April 1810|Various
That he is not only contradicted by all the evidence, but by himself, and how can you corroborate a man who tells no truth?
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 10 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
To corroborate the truth of this report, he and the master were seen again ascending the rigging.
Ben Hadden|W.H.G. Kingston
God must forgive first, and the Pope through his priests can then corroborate the remission.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 7|Elbert Hubbard
Electric investigations which I have carried out also corroborate the results given above.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919|Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose

British Dictionary definitions for corroborate

corroborate

verb (kəˈrɒbəˌreɪt)

(tr) to confirm or support (facts, opinions, etc), esp by providing fresh evidencethe witness corroborated the accused's statement

adjective (kəˈrɒbərɪt) archaic

serving to corroborate a fact, an opinion, etc

(of a fact) corroborated

Derived Formscorroboration, nouncorroborative (kəˈrɒbərətɪv) or corroboratory, adjectivecorroboratively, adverbcorroborator, noun

Word Origin for corroborate

C16: from Latin corrōborāre to invigorate, from rōborāre to make strong, from rōbur strength, literally: oak

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for corroborate

corroborate

1530s, "to give (legal) confirmation to," from Latin corroboratus, past participle of corroborare "to strengthen, invigorate," from com- "together" or "thoroughly" (see com-) + roborare "to make strong," from robur, robus "strength," (see robust).

Meaning "to strengthen by evidence, to confirm" is from 1706. Sometimes in early use the word also has its literal Latin sense, especially of medicines. Related: Corroborated; corroborating; corroborative.