corroboration

American  

[kuh-rob-uh-rey-shuhn] / kəˌrɒb əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of corroborating.

2. a corroboratory fact, statement, etc.

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Other Word Forms

• noncorroboration noun

Etymology

Origin of corroboration

1425–75; late Middle English (< Middle French ) < Late Latin corroborātiōn- (stem of corroborātiō ). See corroborate, -ion

Explanation

If you tell your boss you couldn't go to work because you were sick and then produce a doctor's note, that's corroboration — a fancy term for "evidence" — something that backs up a statement or a theory. Corroboration is probably the kind of word you wouldn't use in casual conversation; you would more likely use proof, for example. It's generally used in a more technical or formal sense, regarding a legal case, perhaps, or a scientific experiment, as in: "Physicists today are finding increasing corroboration that Einstein's theories were correct."

Example Sentences

In the days since, the White House, Pentagon and other government agencies haven’t offered any public details or corroboration that a strike took place.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

Even with this corroboration, I still worried about the veracity of what Byers was telling me, especially when he began speaking about the committee hearing itself.

From Slate • Dec. 1, 2025

There was no immediate corroboration of the figure from other sources.

From Barron's • Oct. 29, 2025

That was “pretty good corroboration of what we’re proposing,” Goldfinger said.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025

I argued that there was no credible corroboration of Myers's testimony and that under Alabama law the State couldn't rely exclusively on the testimony of an accomplice.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• affirmation
• validation
• verification