demonstrate

American  

[dem-uhn-streyt] / ˈdɛm ənˌstreɪt /

verb (used with object)

demonstrated, demonstrating

1. to make evident or establish by arguments or reasoning; prove.

   to demonstrate a philosophical principle.

   Synonyms:

   corroborate, verify, confirm, show

2. to describe, explain, or illustrate by examples, specimens, experiments, or the like.

   to demonstrate the force of gravity by dropping an object.

3. to manifest or exhibit; show.

   He demonstrated his courage by his actions in battle.

4. to display openly or publicly, as feelings.

   to demonstrate one's anger by slamming a door.

5. to exhibit the operation or use of (a device, process, product, or the like), usually to a purchaser or prospect.

   to demonstrate an automobile.

---

verb (used without object)

demonstrated, demonstrating

1. to make, give, or take part in, a demonstration.

   The pickets required a license to demonstrate.

2. Military. to attack or make a show of force to deceive an enemy.

demonstrate British  

/ ˈdɛmənˌstreɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to show, manifest, or prove, esp by reasoning, evidence, etc

   it is easy to demonstrate the truth of this proposition

2. (tr) to evince; reveal the existence of

   the scheme later demonstrated a fatal flaw

3. (tr) to explain or illustrate by experiment, example, etc

4. (tr) to display, operate, and explain the workings of (a machine, product, etc)

5. (intr) to manifest support, protest, etc, by public parades or rallies

6. (intr) to be employed as a demonstrator of machinery, etc

7. (intr) military to make a show of force, esp in order to deceive one's enemy

---

Other Word Forms

• counterdemonstrate verb (used without object)
• demonstratedly adverb
• predemonstrate verb (used with object)
• redemonstrate verb
• subdemonstrate verb (used with object)
• undemonstrated adjective
• well-demonstrated adjective

Etymology

Origin of demonstrate

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin dēmonstrātus, past participle of dēmonstrāre “to show, point out,” equivalent to dē- de- + monstrāre “to show,” verbal derivative of monstrum “sign, portent”; monster ( def. )

Explanation

When you demonstrate something, you show what it is or how it works. To demonstrate how your new juicer works, you should have lots of kale, carrots, and beets on hand — and some brave friends to try your concoction. Demonstrate comes from the Latin word demonstrare, meaning “to point out by argument or deduction.” To demonstrate a point you must make a valid argument and give examples of why you think it's true. Demonstrate can also refer to a public protest. You can demonstrate with your comrades by marching through the streets with homemade protest signs.

Example Sentences

A senior administration official said that Trump sent Vance along with Kushner and Witkoff, who led the last round of unsuccessful talks, to demonstrate that the team was speaking on behalf of the president.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

With OpenAI committing to spending $600 billion on compute by 2030, the company needs to demonstrate clear growth momentum to assuage concerns that it’s overspending on AI.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

"We watched them, we were able to track them, we dropped sonar buoys to demonstrate to them that we were monitoring every hour of their operation."

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

“With larger models in development, these results demonstrate that our stack is scaling effectively.”

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Third, there must be ways of establishing priority—Tartaglia’s coded poem is a device to demonstrate that he already has the solution even though he is keeping it secret.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• determine
• establish
• exhibit
• expose
• indicate
• manifest
• prove
• test
• testify to
• try
• validate