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
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confirmabilitynoun
-
confirmernoun
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unconfirmabilitynoun
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preconfirmverb (used with object)
-
reconfirmverb (used with object)
-
unconfirmverb (used with object)
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confirmableadjective
-
confirmatoryadjective
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nonconfirmingadjective
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confirminglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
confirmsimple
-
confirmssimple
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have confirmedperfect
-
has confirmedperfect
-
am confirmingprogressive
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are confirmingprogressive
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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
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 2
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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:
Clinical trials will be necessary to confirm its effects in people, identify which patients might benefit, and determine safe and effective intake levels.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026
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
The first step is to check his military forms to confirm she is listed as the beneficiary.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Police told AFP they could not confirm any fatalities inside the building.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Once my racing heart calmed, I turned my head to confirm it.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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
Or does he have to wait until the Senate confirms replacement commissioners?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The only interesting comment comes from Detective Inspector Gaskill, who confirms that two men are helping the police with their enquiries.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
A spokeswoman for the hospital, Gladys Baligonzaki Kajura, confirmed to AFP that Besigye had been admitted.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
There are now 6,707 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in 45 states, and another 11,500 people are believed to have cyclospora, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest update on Tuesday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
Spanish media estimated between 2,000 and 3,000 people entered Ceuta on Thursday, according to Reuters, but said that the Guardia Civil had not confirmed the figure.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The belief, which air theorists had propagated since the onset of combat planes in World War I, seemed confirmed by the results of World War II. However, the U.S.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
Miss Bennet’s lovely face confirmed his views, and established all his strictest notions of what was due to seniority; and for the first evening she was his settled choice.
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
Sazerac’s letter said the bid had the backing of Wells Fargo and Apollo Global Management, confirming an earlier Journal report, and additional interest from banks to support the deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
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
Volkswagen's CEO told employees Monday a further 50,000 jobs could go at the struggling auto giant, according to an internal memo seen by AFP, confirming reports the group is targeting 100,000 cuts worldwide.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
I need to help him without confirming anything.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
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.
