verify
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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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:
Leaver said France's ban may have a higher chance of succeeding because of the requirement for every person to verify their age but that this will also increase risks to privacy.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
As a result, it is unclear how the U.S. or the International Atomic Energy Agency would verify that the Saudis don’t militarize their program.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
Brazil introduced a law in March requiring platforms to link the accounts of users aged under-16 to those of their parents, while also requiring platforms to verify users' ages.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Scammers will ask you to provide or verify personal information, account login details or two-factor authentication codes, transfer money to them or download malicious software, it says.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Some decided to act quickly to save themselves and their families, not stopping to verify what they’d heard on the radio.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
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
The lived experience verifies the theoretical, and the theoretical gives those with lived experience tools to understand their own lives.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
The AI agent, integrated into IBM’s security network, automatically verifies the employee’s identity, pulls the required data from the HR system and sends the letter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 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 more such absurd People love a Patient, the more they urge him to eat, which, in Effect, verifies the Proverb of killing one with Kindness.
From Advice to the people in general, with regard to their health by Tissot, S. A. D. (Samuel Auguste David)
The BBC has not independently verified the report.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
When evaluated using verified examples, the model correctly detected suspicious papers 91 percent of the time.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
Lime, with one long-term shareholder, George M. Doumet, controlling a stake of more than 60% through Inberdon Enterprises, as verified by FactSet.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
It has cost an estimated $1 to $2 billion to develop so far, though verified figures aren’t readily available.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Did the City Clerk, who verified Mr. Evans's testimony, get a break in sentencing?
From "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers
On the one hand, the types of technologies that have exploded since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 can automate tasks like editing grammar or verifying facts and figures.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
"Getting this right will enhance our appeal to international investors, by delivering greater clarity and speed for approvals, and a streamlined process for verifying compliance," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
The state has more than 23 million registered voters, and ballots go through numerous verification steps, including verifying signatures on mail-in ballots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
But a successful legal challenge earlier this month by First Nations groups in the province halted the process of verifying petition signatures and placed the plebiscite in limbo.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Records attesting to his death were pullulating like insect eggs and verifying each other beyond all contendon.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
