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."

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Vocabulary lists containing prove

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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act II

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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:

prove proves proved proven proving

Improvements in self-reported questionnaires don’t prove that patients maintain their muscle, other experts said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Her lawyer, Kevin Reddington, also brought a new defence forward arguing there was not enough evidence to prove Clancy killed her children.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

Walker Kessler, the Lakers’ big offseason acquisition, is out to prove he can be an elite rim protector and help unlock a more aggressive perimeter defense.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

As for earnings, the JPMorgan team say the 29% year-on-year gain analyst expectation for third-quarter earnings may yet prove conservative.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

Whether that, too, would prove a mistake also remained to be seen.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

As with so many of The Beatles’ signature albums, “Rubber Soul” proves to be an embarrassment of riches.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

If, say, the Brewers or Rays win, the owners will say that’s the exception that proves the rule.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

"If someone feels that this might be happening to them, I would really encourage them to come and speak to us about it, because there are things we can do, and this proves that."

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

The mercurial singer’s latest album is designed for the club, but it proves oddly dull and anonymous.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

I thought Stan would have appreciated this bit of information, which proves he was right on.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

Even installing it near the museum proved controversial.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

But attitudes have begun changing as the volunteers "proved that we are capable", she said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

The music industry might be upside down in 2026, but one formula that has proved tried and true is the transition from studio to the stage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

So far the broad market has proved stoic.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

And so it had proved through the years as people from all over Haarlem brought their clocks to him.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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

District Judge Mary McElroy in Rhode Island, said the department “has proven unworthy of this trust at every point in this case.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

He said many of his other friends had died because of similarly rare cancers, which he now suspects were linked, although no proven link has been established.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

“These are people who are easy to get along with, who are flexible, and it has been proven she was a good judge of that,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

I had thought after all of those wins in the United States on the national circuit that I had proven that I could handle a major competition.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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

At the Chef’s Table Festival, the women chefs seemed less interested in proving that they could succeed within the old model than in asking what might happen if they built something different.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

A few hours before kick-off at Wembley, City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak told supporters he was still confident of proving the club's innocence and the "Premier League process still has a long way to run".

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

But you’d be wise to keep proving your worth and brace for a modest raise, if you get one at all.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

But after a few weeks of appearances, the spirits were proving to be a bit less popular than usual.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

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