verify
Americanverb (used with object)
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verifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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verified,
past participle, past
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verifying
present participle
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to prove the truth of, as by evidence or testimony; confirm; substantiate.
Events verified his prediction.
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to ascertain the truth or correctness of, as by examination, research, or comparison.
to verify a spelling.
- Synonyms:
- validate, authenticate
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to act as ultimate proof or evidence of; serve to confirm.
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Law.
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to prove or confirm (an allegation).
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to state to be true, especially in legal use, formally or upon oath.
-
verb
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to prove to be true; confirm; substantiate
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to check or determine the correctness or truth of by investigation, reference, etc
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law to add a verification to (a pleading); substantiate or confirm (an oath)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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unverifiabilitynoun
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verifiabilitynoun
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verifiablenessnoun
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verifiernoun
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preverifyverb (used with object)
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reverifyverb (used with object)
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nonverifiableadjective
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unverifiableadjective
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verifiableadjective
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verifiablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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verifysimple
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verifiessimple
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have verifiedperfect
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has verifiedperfect
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am verifyingprogressive
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are verifyingprogressive
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is verifyingprogressive
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have been verifyingperfect progressive
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has been verifyingperfect progressive
Past
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verifiedsimple
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had verifiedperfect
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was verifyingprogressive
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were verifyingprogressive
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had been verifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of verify
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English verifien, from Middle French verifier, from Medieval Latin vērificāre, from vēri- (combining form of vērus “true”) + -ficāre -fy
Explanation
When you verify something, you show that it's true. Do you have a photograph to verify your claim that there's a dinosaur in your backyard? Physical evidence and records are often used to verify what's happened. Your receipt verifies that you purchased the tall, striped hat you'd now like to return. You can also verify something verbally. Can you verify that your cat was home all evening on the night of the canary's "accident"?
Vocabulary lists containing verify
List 1
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Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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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:
AFP has not been able to verify the reports.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
The BBC has not yet been able to independently verify any of the reported troop movements.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
But it needs to check each claim, verify millions of entries, and match them with corresponding data from the U.S. government.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Those changes can be detected with these imaging techniques, allowing researchers to verify that the crystals recorded the collision itself.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
The police verify this by the crumple pattern and damage to the divider and where the car comes to rest.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
And Oracle independently inspects and verifies every piece of the application’s source code and each software update.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Los Angeles County election officials say you can check in at a vote center by scanning your “quick check-in code” — a number that verifies your voter registration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
Bottom line: When you deposit a large cash amount — in this case, a $150,000 inheritance — the teller verifies your identity, records your explanation of the money’s source, and processes the deposit normally.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 26, 2026
The detailed first-hand testimony from all four men also verifies reports of a breakdown of law and order on the Russian front line.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
And this mark of divine favour all the more verifies the declaration of the wife, which has been proved by the confession of those guilty of the crime.
From The Old Yellow Book Source of Robert Browning's The Ring and the Book by Anonymous
Police say investigations into her death had already begun and there is no verified evidence linking the two cases.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
As of late August, there were an estimated 13,000 Flock cameras across Texas, according to DeFlock, an anti-surveillance watchdog that uses verified crowdsourcing to map the locations of Flock cameras.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
They gathered nearly 32,000 verified signatures to get "Initiative 86" on the ballot, which is more signatures than for a proposal to legalize cannabis approved in 2014.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
That detail has been verified by the BBC based on numerous pictures obtained from residents.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
“Well, the church has not verified the authenticity of the apparitions,” Papa said, staring thoughtfully at his plate.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“There’s something to be said about the staff work, and verifying before we do something like that publicly,” Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst told Raw Story.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026
Postal workers will be tasked with verifying that the mailings match the lists of voters that the states would have to provide—and ultimately, whether the ballots should go out at all.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
"While no passwords or payment details were exposed, we recommend remaining cautious of any unexpected emails and always verifying the sender before clicking on links."
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Restrictions imposed on media outlets and limited access in Gaza prevent AFP from independently verifying tolls or freely covering the violence there.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
“Just verifying something,” I say, annoyed I can’t even have this moment to myself.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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.
