proof

[ proof ]

See synonyms for: proof proofer proofest on Thesaurus.com

noun

evidence sufficient to establish a thing as true, or to produce belief in its truth.
anything serving as such evidence: What proof do you have?

the act of testing or making trial of anything; test; trial: to put a thing to the proof.
the establishment of the truth of anything; demonstration.
Law. (in judicial proceedings) evidence having probative weight.
the effect of evidence in convincing the mind.
an arithmetical operation serving to check the correctness of a calculation.
Mathematics, Logic. a sequence of steps, statements, or demonstrations that leads to a valid conclusion.
a test to determine the quality, durability, etc., of materials used in manufacture.
Distilling.
- the arbitrary standard strength, as of an alcoholic liquor.
- strength with reference to this standard: “100 proof” signifies a proof spirit, usually 50% alcohol.
Photography. a trial print from a negative.
Printing.
- a trial impression, as of composed type, taken to correct errors and make alterations.
- one of a number of early and superior impressions taken before the printing of the ordinary issue: to pull a proof.
(in printmaking) an impression taken from a plate or the like to show the quality or condition of work during the process of execution; a print pulled for examination while working on a plate, block, stone, etc.
Numismatics. one of a limited number of coins of a new issue struck from polished dies on a blank having a polished or matte surface.
the state of having been tested and approved.
proved strength, as of armor.
Scots Law. the trial of a case by a judge alone, without a jury.

adjective

able to withstand; successful in not being overcome: proof against temptation.
impenetrable, impervious, or invulnerable: proof against outside temperature changes.

used for testing or proving; serving as proof.
of standard strength, as an alcoholic liquor.
of tested or proven strength or quality: proof armor.
noting pieces of pure gold and silver that the U.S. assay and mint offices use as standards.

verb (used with object)

to test; examine for flaws, errors, etc.; check against a standard or standards.
Printing. prove (def. 7).

to proofread.
to treat or coat for the purpose of rendering resistant to deterioration, damage, etc. (often used in combination): to proof a house against termites; to shrink-proof a shirt.
Cooking.
- to test the effectiveness of (yeast), as by combining with warm water so that a bubbling action occurs.
- to cause (especially bread dough) to rise due to the addition of baker's yeast or other leavening.

Origin of proof

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English prove, prooff, prof, proufe, alteration (by association with the vowel of prove) of preove, proeve, prieve, pref, from Middle French preve, proeve, prueve, from Late Latin proba “a test,” akin to Latin probāre “to test and find good”; cf. pree

synonym study For proof

1. See evidence.

word story For proof

Proof entered English in the 12th century as Middle English prove, prooff, prof, proufe, with the meaning “evidence sufficient to establish a thing as true.” It finds its roots in Late Latin proba, meaning "a test." An example of proof meaning “test” is in the English proverb “All the proof of a pudding is in the eating,” first recorded in English in 1605. The proverb is popularly but wrongly attributed to Miguel Cervantes. In the second part of Cervantes’ Don Quixote (published in 1615), Cervantes wrote “Por la muestra se conoce el paño,” literally, “From the sample you know the cloth,” which was translated into English as “The proof of a pudding is in the eating” by Peter Anthony Motteux, a French-born English playwright and translator, in his English translation (third edition 1712). We know this today as the saying “The proof is in the pudding.”

Other words for proof

1	confirmation, demonstration, corroboration, support
3	examination, assay
18	firm, steadfast

See synonyms for proof on Thesaurus.com

Other words from proof

re-proof, verb (used with object)
un·proofed, adjective

Other definitions for -proof (2 of 2)

-proof

a combining form meaning “resistant, impervious to” that specified by the initial element: burglarproof; childproof; waterproof.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use proof in a sentence

Palmer's desire to be loved is large, his need for proofs of appreciation considerable.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up | Tom Boswell | September 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A 20-year-old cook was detained for threatening national security, but no proofs whatsoever were presented in court.
Venezuela’s Security Forces: A Killer Elite Beyond the Law | Marcel Ventura | April 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
October 1: “Big moments in geometry class this week...we have completed our first proofs!”
Colleen Ritzer Is the Second U.S. Math Teacher Slain in Two Days | Michael Daly | October 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
She said she "never doubted" her sister would come home as "we had all the proofs."
Blonde Child Reunited With Roma Family After Irish Police Blunder | Tom Sykes | October 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Yeah, sometimes I go to this little Italian place around the corner called Otto to read or to do proofs.
Literary City: Jay McInerney’s New York | Henry Krempels | January 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

Still, Louis did not reply; but proofs of his contending soul convulsed the features his agitated hand tried to conceal.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
These extracts from an agreement drawn up by the leading men in Peru in 1812 are proofs of remarkable energy.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis Trevithick
The hardened devils of Anzacs, who had taken cover betwixt the shell-proofs built of piles of stores, roared with laughter.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian Hamilton
This truth is as old as Homer, and its proofs are as capable of demonstration as a mathematical axiom.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | Various
The proofs you have given so far are but solemn pledges to outdo all your contemporaries.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky | Modeste Tchaikovsky

British Dictionary definitions for proof (1 of 2)

proof

/ (pruːf) /

noun

any evidence that establishes or helps to establish the truth, validity, quality, etc, of something
law the whole body of evidence upon which the verdict of a court is based

maths logic a sequence of steps or statements that establishes the truth of a proposition: See also direct (def. 17), induction (def. 4), induction (def. 8)
the act of testing the truth of something (esp in the phrase put to the proof)
Scots law trial before a judge without a jury
printing a trial impression made from composed type, or a print-out (from a laser printer, etc) for the correction of errors
(in engraving, etc) a print made by an artist or under his supervision for his own satisfaction before he hands the plate over to a professional printer
photog a trial print from a negative
- the alcoholic strength of proof spirit
- the strength of a beverage or other alcoholic liquor as measured on a scale in which the strength of proof spirit is 100 degrees

adjective

(usually postpositive foll by against) able to resist; impervious (to): the roof is proof against rain
having the alcoholic strength of proof spirit

of proved strength or impenetrability: proof armour

verb

(tr) to take a proof from (type matter, a plate, etc)
to proofread (text) or inspect (a print, etc), as for approval

to render (something) proof, esp to waterproof

Origin of proof

C13: from Old French preuve a test, from Late Latin proba, from Latin probāre to test

British Dictionary definitions for -proof (2 of 2)

-proof

adjective, combining form

secure against (damage by); (make) impervious to: waterproof; mothproof; childproof

Origin of -proof

from proof (adj)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for proof

proof

[ prōōf ]

A demonstration of the truth of a mathematical or logical statement, based on axioms and theorems derived from those axioms.

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