confirm
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to establish the truth, accuracy, validity, or genuineness of; corroborate; verify.
This report confirms my suspicions.
- Synonyms:
- validate, authenticate, substantiate, prove
- Antonyms:
- disprove
-
to acknowledge with definite assurance.
Did the hotel confirm our room reservation?
-
to make valid or binding by some formal or legal act; sanction; ratify.
to confirm a treaty;
to confirm her appointment to the Supreme Court.
- Antonyms:
- invalidate
-
to make firm or more firm; add strength to; settle or establish firmly.
Their support confirmed my determination to run for mayor.
- Synonyms:
- fix
- Antonyms:
- shake
-
to strengthen (a person) in habit, resolution, opinion, etc..
The accident confirmed him in his fear of driving.
-
to administer the religious rite of confirmation to.
verb
-
(may take a clause as object) to prove to be true or valid; corroborate; verify
-
(may take a clause as object) to assert for a second or further time, so as to make more definite
he confirmed that he would appear in court
-
to strengthen or make more firm
his story confirmed my doubts
-
to make valid by a formal act or agreement; ratify
-
to administer the rite of confirmation to
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
confirmabilitynoun
-
confirmernoun
-
unconfirmabilitynoun
-
preconfirmverb (used with object)
-
reconfirmverb (used with object)
-
unconfirmverb (used with object)
-
confirmableadjective
-
confirmatoryadjective
-
nonconfirmingadjective
-
confirminglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
confirmsimple
-
confirmssimple
-
have confirmedperfect
-
has confirmedperfect
-
am confirmingprogressive
-
are confirmingprogressive
-
is confirmingprogressive
-
have been confirmingperfect progressive
-
has been confirmingperfect progressive
Past
-
confirmedsimple
-
had confirmedperfect
-
was confirmingprogressive
-
were confirmingprogressive
-
had been confirmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of confirm
First recorded in 1250–1300; from Latin confirmāre “to strengthen, confirm” ( see con-, firm 1); replacing Middle English confermen, from Old French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
When you need to make sure before you leave that you have a reservation, you often call ahead to confirm, that is, to make sure that your tickets or space are set aside for you. The firm in confirm should give you a clue as to the word's meaning: to shore up or verify something. When you make sure something is set, or firm, you confirm it. The word comes from the Latin con- "together, altogether," and firmāre "make firm," so confirm originally meant roughly "to make (something) altogether firm."
Vocabulary lists containing confirm
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Language of Standardized Tests, List 2
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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 French industrial-gases company’s improvement in margins and amount of projects also confirm its investment case, the analyst adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Police told AFP they could not confirm any fatalities inside the building.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Preventing unwanted electric fields was especially important because the researchers needed to confirm that the electron flow came entirely from the light.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
The BBC has contacted Gatwick Airport to confirm any flight disruption.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
He doesn’t even have to confirm it for me, because I know we are about to fulfill his lifelong dream and mine.”
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
If future prospective research confirms the findings, diabetes prevention may need to become more personalized.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
In his view, that confirms that the long-term growth trajectory for chip makers is intact.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Serkis also confirms that he will not be directing the second new Lord of the Rings film, Shadow of the Past, written by the US chat show host Stephen Colbert.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
The seat stays empty until the Senate confirms someone new.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
The fact that he does nothing only confirms my suspicions.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
The surveys confirmed the wreckage was the Oryoku Maru and, more importantly, that a recovery operation was feasible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The group confirmed its qualitative outlook for the year, while its new backlog record of 6 billion euros supports growth momentum despite limited recovery in industrial demand, the analyst says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Dutta confirmed to MarketWatch that he authored the post.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
The San Francisco-based card payment company has not confirmed how many affected employees will be from its California offices.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
This was odd, but only confirmed what I had all along thought—that there were no servants in the house.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
The Home Office announced plans for the site last October before confirming the move in January, sparking protests in the town.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
However, confirming whether those planets have atmospheres has been one of the most difficult challenges in exoplanet research.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
"The gallery will open on Wednesday," the source said, confirming a report in Le Parisien newspaper and added Culture Minister Catherine Pegard would be present.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
South Kivu has now gone 49 consecutive days without confirming a new Ebola case, exceeding the disease’s maximum 42-day incubation period, the U.N. said this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
My parents corner me in a hug that mimics the one at Aaron’s blowout party, when we were confirming that our futures were bright.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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.
