prove
Americanverb (used with object)
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to establish the truth or genuineness of, as by evidence or argument.
to prove one's claim.
- Synonyms:
- verify, substantiate, confirm, demonstrate
- Antonyms:
- disprove
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Law. to establish the authenticity or validity of (a will); probate.
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to give demonstration of by action.
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to subject to a test, experiment, comparison, analysis, or the like, to determine quality, amount, acceptability, characteristics, etc..
to prove ore.
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to show (oneself ) to have the character or ability expected of one, especially through one's actions.
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Mathematics. to verify the correctness or validity of by mathematical demonstration or arithmetical proof.
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Printing. Also to take a trial impression of (type, a cut, etc.).
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to cause (dough) to rise to the necessary lightness.
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Archaic. to experience.
verb (used without object)
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to turn out.
The experiment proved to be successful.
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to be found by trial or experience to be.
His story proved false.
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(of dough) to rise to a specified lightness.
Leave covered until it has proved.
verb
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(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
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to establish the quality of, esp by experiment or scientific analysis
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law to establish the validity and genuineness of (a will)
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to show (oneself) able or courageous
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(copula) to be found or shown (to be)
this has proved useless
he proved to be invaluable
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printing to take a trial impression of (type, etc)
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(intr) (of dough) to rise in a warm place before baking
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archaic to undergo
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
- half-proved adjective
- half-proven adjective
- nonprovable adjective
- overprove verb (used with object)
- preprove verb (used with object)
- provability noun
- provable adjective
- provableness noun
- provably adverb
- provenly adverb
- prover noun
- self-proving adjective
- semiproven adjective
- unprovable adjective
- unproved adjective
- unproven adjective
- unproving adjective
- well-proved adjective
- well-proven adjective
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
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.
Commenting on how long weaker demand might last, Bryden said it would "largely depend on how long‑lasting these pressures prove to be and the wider implications for the economy and unemployment".
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
The status is granted by the Pan American Health Organization, and the U.S. can only maintain it if it can prove that the virus has not circulated continuously in the nation for a year straight.
From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026
Still, software companies will still need to prove to investors that all this AI spending is yielding strong financial benefits.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026
Yet junk bonds might prove more resilient than their loan peers in the speculative credit market in rocky times ahead.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
They left the door open too for a couple of days so everybody could see the new stuff, which just went to prove, Alice said, “that there’s nobody hidden there and never was.”
From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson
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.
