proof of the pudding

American  

[proof uhv thuh pood-ing] / ˈpruf ʌv ðə ˈpʊd ɪŋ /

noun

1. the true value or quality of something, as seen when it is experienced, tried, or put to use.

   The proof of the pudding for a business is what customers say about it.

---

Etymology

Origin of proof of the pudding

First recorded in 1600–20; from the proverb “The proof (i.e., test) of the pudding is in the eating”

Example Sentences

In other words, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2025

“The proof of the pudding will be what happens when it goes into humans and how going into a preimmune population skews the response to it,” Dr. Webby said.

From New York Times • Nov. 29, 2022

But, she adds, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

From Scientific American • Mar. 11, 2022

Of course, the proof of the pudding is always in the eating, and despite years of testing, there will no doubt be teething problems when it comes to using this technology in farms.

From The Verge • Jan. 4, 2022

I tell them that the only proof of the pudding is the eating and that, strangely enough, all the good wives I know are already wedded.

From A Top-Floor Idyl by Van Schaick, George