Synonyms

prove

American

[proov] / pruv /

verb (used with object)

to establish the truth or genuineness of, as by evidence or argument.

to prove one's claim.

Synonyms:

verify, substantiate, confirm, demonstrate

Antonyms:

disprove
Law. to establish the authenticity or validity of (a will); probate.
to give demonstration of by action.
to subject to a test, experiment, comparison, analysis, or the like, to determine quality, amount, acceptability, characteristics, etc..

to prove ore.
to show (oneself ) to have the character or ability expected of one, especially through one's actions.
Mathematics. to verify the correctness or validity of by mathematical demonstration or arithmetical proof.
Printing. Also to take a trial impression of (type, a cut, etc.).
to cause (dough) to rise to the necessary lightness.
Archaic. to experience.

verb (used without object)

to turn out.

The experiment proved to be successful.
to be found by trial or experience to be.

His story proved false.
(of dough) to rise to a specified lightness.

Leave covered until it has proved.

prove British

/ pruːv /

verb

(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to establish or demonstrate the truth or validity of; verify, esp by using an established sequence of procedures or statements
to establish the quality of, esp by experiment or scientific analysis
law to establish the validity and genuineness of (a will)
to show (oneself) able or courageous
(copula) to be found or shown (to be)

this has proved useless
he proved to be invaluable
printing to take a trial impression of (type, etc)
(intr) (of dough) to rise in a warm place before baking
archaic to undergo

"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

prove Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing prove

exception proves the rule

Usage

Either proved or proven is standard as the past participle of prove : Events have proved (or proven ) him wrong. As a modifier, proven is by far the more common: a proven fact.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of prove

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English proven, from Old French prover, from Latin probāre “to try, test, prove, approve,” derivative of probus “good.” See probity

Explanation

When you prove something, you show that it's true. If you say you love eating raw eggs, you may have to prove it by chugging a few. When someone asks you to prove something, you need evidence, also known as proof. Prove comes from the Latin root probare, "to test or prove worthy." The word’s meaning is clear in this quote from writer Ernest Holmes: "There was a time when a man was so convinced that the world was round that he was determined to prove it." As a transitive verb, prove requires an object to receive the action, as in "How can you prove your claim?" It can also be intransitive, as in "You might prove to be right."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing prove

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!

"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act II

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!

Beowulf vocabulary

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:

prove proves proved proven proving

Investors are right to be skeptical of one-hit wonders, at least until they prove they can become something more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

His code name was Lawful, and Ted did want to prove that he couldn’t be defeated.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

"However insignificant it may seem, the smallest piece of information could prove crucial in helping us establish what happened and identify those responsible."

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

But investors are still waiting for Argentina's roller-coaster economy to "prove that what it's doing will actually be sustainable over time," economist Marcelo Elizondo told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

How he wished he could prove them all wrong.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

The aftermath is anything but simple, and that “Promising Young Woman” is so vexing only proves there is no easy way to make sense of the senseless.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

"This proves we are serious in this space."

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

“When you watch Joshua Van fight, his expression never changes — he always tries to stay in control. And that proves just how good you are.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

If the approach proves successful, it could open new ways to convert large volumes of industrial waste into marketable products.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

“It proves one thing at least,” he said.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Malaysia proved that promise was more than a flash in the pan.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

Exactly a year since he unveiled his first collection at Chanel, Franco-Belgian designer Matthieu Blazy has proved himself to be a shrewd and hugely profitable recruit by the family-owned French fashion label.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

Two plays from junior free safety Jake Martin proved his coach right.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Mercedes have brought their first major upgrade since the Canadian Grand Prix in June, but it has not proved the step forward hoped.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Other offers proved to be too small or, in a few cases, even spurious.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

But keeping pace with the international boom has proven tricky for the archipelago nation's overwhelmingly smallholder farmers, with yields declining and some unable to commit to the plant's nine-month growing time.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

Lethal injection has proven to be a difficult execution method to get right.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

The economics of certain business models, such as robots-as-a-service, also remain mostly untested and have not been a proven success for at least one humanoid company, Agility, according to a regulatory filing.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

If proven out, these experimental medications could ultimately improve people’s health while they rapidly lose weight on these therapies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

By 1944, Italy—one of the three Axis powers—has surrendered, but Germany has proven much more formidable.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Broaden the search to state and local contests and there are 474 electoral rematches nationwide -- proving that in American politics, as in Hollywood, there is rarely any objection to a sequel.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Her later chapters can read like a dossier proving a point already made.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Coach JJ Redick expects training camp to be a proving ground for players who want start and be part of the rotation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

"The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the club's innocence is just as strong as when this began," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Math is about right answers and proving the right answer.

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023