evidence
Americannoun
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evidence
plural
-
that which tends to prove or disprove something; ground for belief; proof.
-
something that makes plain or clear; an indication or sign.
His flushed look was visible evidence of his fever.
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Law. data presented to a court or jury in proof of the facts in issue and which may include the testimony of witnesses, records, documents, or objects.
- Synonyms:
- affidavit, deposition, information
verb (used with object)
-
evidences,
present (3rd person singular)
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evidenced,
past participle, past
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evidencing
present participle
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to make evident or clear; show clearly; manifest.
He evidenced his approval by promising his full support.
- Synonyms:
- demonstrate
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to support by evidence.
He evidenced his accusation with incriminating letters.
idioms
noun
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ground for belief or disbelief; data on which to base proof or to establish truth or falsehood
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a mark or sign that makes evident; indication
his pallor was evidence of ill health
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law matter produced before a court of law in an attempt to prove or disprove a point in issue, such as the statements of witnesses, documents, material objects, etc See also circumstantial evidence direct evidence
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(of an accomplice) to act as witness for the prosecution and testify against those associated with him in crime
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on display; apparent; conspicuous
her new ring was in evidence
verb
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to make evident; show clearly
-
to give proof of or evidence for
Synonym Usage
Evidence, exhibit, testimony, proof refer to information furnished in a legal investigation to support a contention. Evidence is any information so given, whether furnished by witnesses or derived from documents or from any other source: Hearsay evidence is not admitted in a trial. An exhibit in law is a document or article that is presented in court as evidence: The signed contract is Exhibit A. Testimony is usually evidence given by witnesses under oath: The jury listened carefully to the testimony. Proof is evidence that is so complete and convincing as to put a conclusion beyond reasonable doubt: proof of the innocence of the accused.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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counterevidencenoun
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preevidencenoun
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superevidencenoun
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reevidenceverb (used with object)
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unevidencedadjective
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well-evidencedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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evidencesimple
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evidencessimple
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have evidencedperfect
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has evidencedperfect
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am evidencingprogressive
-
are evidencingprogressive
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is evidencingprogressive
-
have been evidencingperfect progressive
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has been evidencingperfect progressive
Past
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evidencedsimple
-
had evidencedperfect
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was evidencingprogressive
-
were evidencingprogressive
-
had been evidencingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of evidence
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun from Middle French, from Latin ēvidentia; see evident, -ence
Explanation
Evidence is anything that can be used to prove something — like the evidence presented in a trial, or the trail of bread crumbs that is evidence of the path Hansel took through the woods. The word evidence is derived from the Latin ēvidēnt-, meaning "obvious." The word evidence shows up frequently in legal documents and dramas, because evidence is necessary proof in linking someone to a crime or crime scene. Evidence is used in many ways to show that something is true, as in "the chocolate stains around your mouth and the crumbs on the table are evidence that you ate the last of the brownies."
Vocabulary lists containing evidence
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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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:
The survey also helps management understand why people are violating the rules, which lets them address underlying problems instead of treating every violation as evidence that an employee is lazy or dishonest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Irwin gave no evidence during his trial, jurors heard he had previously told a clinical psychologist he had "tried to help" his mother who, he claimed, had "repeatedly refused" assistance.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“A muted hiring backdrop, benign wage growth and scant evidence of second-round inflation effects sets the scene for another on-hold Bank of England decision,” the economists said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Further evidence came from biochemical tests led by Associate Professor Carney Matheson.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
It was a good thing that he’d destroyed the evidence so quickly, because a few moments later his mom poked her head in his door.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
"I think it evidences the fact that there is an ongoing threat in respect of dissident republican activity," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The “rush to seek death in this case evidences strong emotional reactions” by the Utah County Attorney’s Office and the prosecutor whose child attended Kirk’s talk, Robinson’s lawyers said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
So the bias that exists just really means that we have to be very careful in taking small steps to show evidences.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2025
“The European Parliament should not accuse a country without evidences coming out from the competent judicial authorities,” said the email, sent in the name of the lawmaker Andrea Cozzolino.
From New York Times ● Dec. 15, 2022
I had noticed other little evidences of the envy and of the jealousy which Mr. Muhammad had prophesied.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
The way they do everything, of course, as evidenced by the siblings’ meeting in their mother’s garage, attempting to resolve their seemingly irreconcilable differences about their mother’s fate and their parts in it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
But so is the case for raising rates soon—as evidenced by the three dissents at the last meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Though most hyperscalers are expected to have negative free cash flow in 2027, “demand and order coverage are improving relative to capex, as evidenced by rising backlog-to-capex and book-to-bill ratios,” the analysts write.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Jefferies analyst Samad Samana wrote in a Wednesday note that investors were reacting to more than just the “clean sweep” evidenced by Shopify’s results.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Mr. Muhammad evidenced the depth of his trust in me.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
"Our far-reaching theory encompasses all systems evidencing such transverse interactions. Conceivable applications range from colloid research to biology," declares co-author Dr. Michael te Vrugt, Assistant Professor at the University of Mainz.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2025
There are surely no memos to the file, emails, or letters to the client evidencing such advice in writing.
From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2023
I am super proud that is evidencing itself today in our fulfillment margins and our gross margins, with all of these changes we made during what was the most difficult time we have ever had.
From The Verge ● Jul. 26, 2022
"Economic conditions are evidencing some signs of perhaps slowing somewhat down", said Mark Luschini, Chief Investment Strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott.
From Reuters ● Apr. 11, 2022
The moment our batteries opened, their guns also opened a heavy cannonade, evidencing the truth of what the vakeel had been holding forth.
From Memoirs of the Extraordinary Military Career of John Shipp Late a Lieut. in His Majesty's 87th Regiment by John Shipp
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.
