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:
Ukrainian Ministry of Defense rules require keeping humans in the loop for “combat” decisions, meaning that humans verify targets in the “final stages of interception.”
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
Since then, the City Section established a rule that teams must exchange rosters before games to verify that players are eligible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
While the BBC cannot independently verify these figures, one local resident has given her personal account of losing her loved ones.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
An agreement we can’t independently verify isn’t a safeguard; it’s a risky leap of faith.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The purpose of their visit was twofold: to see how we had settled in, and to verify that we still did not want to appeal our sentences.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Nielsen, the longtime powerhouse in TV ratings, agreed to buy DoubleVerify, a software platform that verifies media quality and optimizes advertising performance, in a deal with an enterprise value of about $2.15 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
GeoConfirmed, a volunteer-driven open-source intelligence project that verifies visuals from conflicts around the globe, also urged Google to reconsider.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Local elections officials say you can save time checking in at the vote center by scanning your “quick check-in code,” which verifies your voter registration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 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
"Each new experience verifies the former," said the astrologer, raising up his head at last.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 58, No. 362, December 1845 by Various
The Journal verified the company was established weeks before the letter’s date.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
That detail has been verified by the BBC based on numerous pictures obtained from residents.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Scientists and engineers working at the Coronagraph Commanding Center at Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California, verified that they can communicate with every major part of the instrument.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
Top U.S. officials doubt whether any agreement could be credibly enforced or verified.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
The voucher was verified, the fare showed as paid, and my avatar vanished.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Once the quantum calculation becomes too difficult for a classical computer to reproduce, verifying that the quantum machine actually produced the correct result becomes increasingly difficult as well.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
It included steps such as protecting data privacy and focusing on safer platform design, including better methods of verifying a user's age and not exposing such users to addictive design features.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Amazon Pharmacy manages the entire process, including verifying eligibility, handling prior authorizations, and initiating enrollment, once a clinician submits an electronic GLP-1 prescription, the company said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 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
A man with a clipboard made final inspections, independently verifying the measurements, then approved it for use.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
