demonstrate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make evident or establish by arguments or reasoning; prove.
to demonstrate a philosophical principle.
- Synonyms:
- corroborate, verify, confirm, show
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to describe, explain, or illustrate by examples, specimens, experiments, or the like.
to demonstrate the force of gravity by dropping an object.
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to manifest or exhibit; show.
He demonstrated his courage by his actions in battle.
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to display openly or publicly, as feelings.
to demonstrate one's anger by slamming a door.
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to exhibit the operation or use of (a device, process, product, or the like), usually to a purchaser or prospect.
to demonstrate an automobile.
verb (used without object)
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to make, give, or take part in, a demonstration.
The pickets required a license to demonstrate.
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Military. to attack or make a show of force to deceive an enemy.
verb
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(tr) to show, manifest, or prove, esp by reasoning, evidence, etc
it is easy to demonstrate the truth of this proposition
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(tr) to evince; reveal the existence of
the scheme later demonstrated a fatal flaw
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(tr) to explain or illustrate by experiment, example, etc
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(tr) to display, operate, and explain the workings of (a machine, product, etc)
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(intr) to manifest support, protest, etc, by public parades or rallies
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(intr) to be employed as a demonstrator of machinery, etc
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(intr) military to make a show of force, esp in order to deceive one's enemy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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redemonstrateverb
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predemonstrateverb (used with object)
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subdemonstrateverb (used with object)
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counterdemonstrateverb (used without object)
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undemonstratedadjective
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well-demonstratedadjective
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demonstratedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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demonstratesimple
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demonstratessimple
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have demonstratedperfect
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has demonstratedperfect
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am demonstratingprogressive
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are demonstratingprogressive
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is demonstratingprogressive
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have been demonstratingperfect progressive
-
has been demonstratingperfect progressive
Past
-
demonstratedsimple
-
had demonstratedperfect
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was demonstratingprogressive
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were demonstratingprogressive
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had been demonstratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of demonstrate
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin dēmonstrātus, past participle of dēmonstrāre “to show, point out,” equivalent to dē- de- + monstrāre “to show,” verbal derivative of monstrum “sign, portent”; see origin at monster ( def. )
Explanation
When you demonstrate something, you show what it is or how it works. To demonstrate how your new juicer works, you should have lots of kale, carrots, and beets on hand — and some brave friends to try your concoction. Demonstrate comes from the Latin word demonstrare, meaning “to point out by argument or deduction.” To demonstrate a point you must make a valid argument and give examples of why you think it's true. Demonstrate can also refer to a public protest. You can demonstrate with your comrades by marching through the streets with homemade protest signs.
Vocabulary lists containing demonstrate
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 2
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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:
The device was primarily designed to investigate fundamental physics and demonstrate a behavior that had never previously been observed.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
“We believe this is the right path because the facts and the law are on our side, and a full hearing will demonstrate why the plaintiffs’ arguments should not prevail,” Ellison wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
That model “has been working against the company for years” but now “should demonstrate what the company can do as it returns from near-dead,” he wrote in his late Thursday report.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
We have to demonstrate the performance of this much longer, much slimmer wing in terms of reduced fuel consumption.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
In an effort to demonstrate their commitment to a genuinely multiracial, working-class movement against white elites, the Populists made strides toward racial integration, a symbol of their commitment to class-based unity.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
"If it demonstrates that culturally contextualised storytelling can materially increase engagement in India, then expect F-1, the NBA, the NFL, the UFC, La Liga and the Premier League to deepen their India-first content strategies."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The study also demonstrates how artificial intelligence could change dream research.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
Seth DuMouchel said that Carlos’ behavior demonstrates that she presents an ongoing danger to the community.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
This demonstrates the value of America’s lead, but it isn’t clear government has a better solution to the safety risks even as it threatens to turn the labs’ billion-dollar superintelligence bets into lose-lose propositions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
On the beach Captain Smith demonstrates to me how to clean the sword with a rag and sand—he says this sand is fine enough to do the job.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
National Science Foundation, the team demonstrated that two different colors of light could produce an organized flow of electrons through a semiconductor.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
Thanks to four years as vice president and two presidential bids, her name identification is universal, and she has demonstrated the ability to raise mounds of money.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
The whistles and the mutual aid networks demonstrated that it did not.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
On Wednesday, students demonstrated over the detentions of their fellow classmates, calling for their release.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Von Guericke had demonstrated how two hemispheres from which the air had been extracted were held so tightly together by air pressure that teams of horses could not pull them apart.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Gutierrez said a candidate who is serious about demonstrating a commitment to good governance should be comprehensive in their financial disclosures and could divest from any stock holdings.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
In demonstrating what she herself loves about the Great Books, Ms. Kanakia helps readers viscerally inhabit that love.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Whether or not you have years of experience is less important than demonstrating that you can hit the ground running.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
He feels the later start is demonstrating "understanding and flexibility", and has seen an "influx of emails" from parents welcoming it as a "really lovely idea".
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
When he stood up to talk, he explained that he’d be demonstrating this new science of identification.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
