demonstrate

American  

[dem-uhn-streyt] / ˈdɛm ənˌstreɪt /

verb (used with object)

• demonstrates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• demonstrated,
  past participle,  past
• demonstrating
  present participle

1. to make evident or establish by arguments or reasoning; prove.

   to demonstrate a philosophical principle.

   Synonyms:

   corroborate, verify, confirm, show

2. to describe, explain, or illustrate by examples, specimens, experiments, or the like.

   to demonstrate the force of gravity by dropping an object.

3. to manifest or exhibit; show.

   He demonstrated his courage by his actions in battle.

4. to display openly or publicly, as feelings.

   to demonstrate one's anger by slamming a door.

5. to exhibit the operation or use of (a device, process, product, or the like), usually to a purchaser or prospect.

   to demonstrate an automobile.

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verb (used without object)

• demonstrates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• demonstrated,
  past participle,  past
• demonstrating
  present participle

1. to make, give, or take part in, a demonstration.

   The pickets required a license to demonstrate.

2. Military. to attack or make a show of force to deceive an enemy.

demonstrate British  

/ ˈdɛmənˌstreɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to show, manifest, or prove, esp by reasoning, evidence, etc

   it is easy to demonstrate the truth of this proposition

2. (tr) to evince; reveal the existence of

   the scheme later demonstrated a fatal flaw

3. (tr) to explain or illustrate by experiment, example, etc

4. (tr) to display, operate, and explain the workings of (a machine, product, etc)

5. (intr) to manifest support, protest, etc, by public parades or rallies

6. (intr) to be employed as a demonstrator of machinery, etc

7. (intr) military to make a show of force, esp in order to deceive one's enemy

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• redemonstrate
  verb
• predemonstrate
  verb (used with object)
• subdemonstrate
  verb (used with object)
• counterdemonstrate
  verb (used without object)
• undemonstrated
  adjective
• well-demonstrated
  adjective
• demonstratedly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• demonstrating
  present
• demonstrated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• demonstrate
  simple
• demonstrates
  simple
• have demonstrated
  perfect
• has demonstrated
  perfect
• am demonstrating
  progressive
• are demonstrating
  progressive
• is demonstrating
  progressive
• have been demonstrating
  perfect progressive
• has been demonstrating
  perfect progressive

Past

• demonstrated
  simple
• had demonstrated
  perfect
• was demonstrating
  progressive
• were demonstrating
  progressive
• had been demonstrating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will demonstrate
  simple
• will have demonstrated
  perfect
• will be demonstrating
  progressive
• will have been demonstrating
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

demonstrate demonstrates demonstrated demonstrating

The findings demonstrate how valuable it can be to revisit unprepared specimens stored in museums and research collections.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

Researchers emphasized that the results show an association and do not demonstrate that hormone therapy can prevent dementia.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

"Recent 'independent' awards clearly demonstrate a significant disparity of what is accepted as independent for one sector, but not for another," he added.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

She is currently pursuing a certification to demonstrate her AI fluency.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Crab lifted his rifle in both hands, like he was about to demonstrate how to shoot an arrow from a bow, which would’ve been just as cool, in Genie’s estimation.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

As Amziah demonstrates during this lesson, the queen is the center of the universe and without her, the colony would collapse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

"This study demonstrates that blood-based methylation profiling can deliver clinically meaningful information across multiple diseases," said Zhou.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

A7’s website demonstrates its reach by showing flags of dozens of countries, including the U.S.,

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

Something I’ve heard over and over again from recruiters is that AI is useful, but only if a person demonstrates they have good judgment.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

Now that I have recalled this episode, another event from around that time in my father's career comes to mind which demonstrates perhaps even more impressively this special quality he came to possess.

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Announcing that she "wants it all" before these championships, Hunt, even in these early stages of her senior career, has demonstrated a propensity to thrive on major stages, and under ever-increasing expectation.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The episode demonstrated that where interests converge, Israel and the new Syrian government can address concrete security threats through U.S.-mediated, verifiable arrangements rather than confrontation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

"They delivered a fantastic competition and demonstrated the dedication, commitment, skill and talent that continue to make the world of pipe band competition so special."

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

An exercise in the underground carpark of a hospital near Taipei on Thursday demonstrated a war-time medical facility.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

At the next Nationals Camp, I demonstrated the move for Martha and she thought it looked really good, so we went ahead and added it to the second tumbling pass of my floor routine.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

Defence spending will account for more than three percent of GDP, "demonstrating Taiwan's resolve to strengthen its self-defence capabilities", Lai said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

For previous cohorts, this meant having a perfect GPA, winning a prestigious award, or demonstrating the highest technical advancement.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

Beyond demonstrating a single new material, the researchers established a broader design strategy that could be used to create an entirely new family of quantum materials.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026

The judge concluded that “ultimately, the most persuasive evidence demonstrating Anderson’s domicile is where he chose to spend his most valuable and limited resource: his time.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

The skull-faced man had quickly thrust his hands behind his back, as though demonstrating to all the world that he refused the gift.

From "1984" by George Orwell

Related Words

• determine
• establish
• exhibit
• expose
• indicate
• manifest
• prove
• test
• testify to
• try
• validate