demonstration
Americannoun
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the act or circumstance of proving or being proved conclusively, as by reasoning or a show of evidence.
a belief incapable of demonstration.
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something serving as proof or supporting evidence.
They sent a check as a demonstration of their concern.
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a description or explanation, as of a process, illustrated by examples, specimens, or the like.
a demonstration of methods of refining ore.
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the act of exhibiting the operation or use of a device, machine, process, product, or the like, as to a prospective buyer.
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an exhibition, as of feeling; display; manifestation.
His demonstration of affection was embarrassing.
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a public exhibition of the attitude of a group of persons toward a controversial issue, or other matter, made by picketing, parading, etc.
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a show of military force or of offensive operations made to deceive an enemy.
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Mathematics. a logical presentation of the way in which given assumptions imply a certain result; proof.
noun
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the act of demonstrating
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proof or evidence leading to proof
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an explanation, display, illustration, or experiment showing how something works
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a manifestation of grievances, support, or protest by public rallies, parades, etc
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a manifestation of emotion
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a show of military force or preparedness
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maths a logical presentation of the assumptions and equations used in solving a problem or proving a theorem
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of demonstration
1325–75; Middle English demonstracioun < Latin dēmonstrātiōn- (stem of dēmonstrātiō, equivalent to dēmonstrāt ( us ) ( see demonstrate) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A demonstration is a show, or display. If you are against war, you might go to an anti-war demonstration in front of the White House. You might need to see a demonstration of napkin folding before you take a job as a waitress. Dressing well for a job interview and showing up on time is considered a demonstration of your seriousness about the job. Crying is a demonstration of your feelings. If you sell website design you can make a demonstration site, or demo, so clients can see what they would get if they hired you.
Vocabulary lists containing demonstration
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 31-40
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Twelve Days in May
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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.
It’s the purest demonstration of what it means to bring together subjective lived experience and academic knowledge.
From Slate • May 27, 2026
Purchases or purchase orders by government-linked buyers — local governments, state-backed industrial parks, public research institutes, state-owned companies and government-funded demonstration projects — have soared.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
Its work in Europe includes nonnuclear testing to gather data on liquid lead in Italy, where it also has a nonnuclear demonstration reactor under construction.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
The protests have not stopped since the Novi Sad disaster, with one demonstration in March 2025 bringing as many as 300,000 together.
From Barron's • May 23, 2026
Instead they expressed their loyalty to the Nazi government by staging a pro-Nazi demonstration in front of the university just two hours after the executions of Hans and Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
