Definition of 'prove'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense proves, present participle proving, past tense, past participle proved, past participle provenlanguage note: The forms proved and proven can both be used as a past participle.
1. link verb
If something proves to be true or to have a particular quality, it becomes clear after a period of time that it is true
or has that quality.
2. transitive verb
3. transitive verb
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
prove in American English
verb transitiveWord forms: proved, proved or ˈproven, ˈproving
1.
to test by experiment, a standard, etc.; subject to a testing process; try out
2.
to establish as true; demonstrate to be a fact
3.
to establish the validity or authenticity of (esp. a will)
4.
to show (oneself) to be capable, dependable, etc.
verb intransitive
8.
to be found or shown by experience or trial; turn out to be
a guess that proved right
9. Archaic
to make trial
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
provability (ˌprovaˈbility)
noun or ˈprovableness
provable (ˈprovable)
adjective
provably (ˈprovably)
adverb
prover (ˈprover)
noun see exception
Word Frequency
prove in American English
(pruːv) (verb proved, proved or proven, proving)
transitive verb
1.
to establish the truth or genuineness of, as by evidence or argument
to prove one's claim
3.
to give demonstration of by action
4.
to subject to a test, experiment, comparison, analysis, or the like, to determine quality, amount, acceptability, characteristics,
etc
to prove ore
5.
to show (oneself) to have the character or ability expected of one, esp. through one's actions
6. Math
to verify the correctness or validity of by mathematical demonstration or arithmetical proof
7. Also: proof Printing
to take a trial impression of (type, a cut, etc.)
9. archaic
to experience
intransitive verb
SYNONYMS 1. demonstrate, confirm, substantiate, verify.ANTONYMS 1. disprove.USAGE Either proved or proven is standard as the past participle of prove: Events have proved (or proven) him wrong. As a modifier, proven is by far the more common: a proven fact. 10.
to turn out
The experiment proved to be successful
11.
to be found by trial or experience to be
His story proved false
12. (of dough)
to rise to a specified lightness
Leave covered until it has proved
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
provable adjective
provability or provableness
noun
provably
adverb
provenly
adverb
prover
noun
Word origin
[1125–75; ME proven ‹ OF prover ‹ L probāre to try, test, prove, approve, deriv. of probus good. See probity]Word Frequency
prove in British English
verbWord forms: proves, proving, proved, proved or proven (mainly tr)
1. (may take a clause as object or an infinitive)
to establish or demonstrate the truth or validity of; verify, esp by using an established sequence of procedures or statements
2.
3. law
to establish the validity and genuineness of (a will)
4.
to show (oneself) able or courageous
5. (copula)
to be found or shown (to be)
this has proved useless
it proved to be invaluable
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
provable (ˈprovable) adjective
provability (ˌprovaˈbility)
noun
provably (ˈprovably)
adverb
Word origin
C12: from Old French prover, from Latin probāre to test, from probus honest
Examples of 'prove' in a sentence
prove
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In other languages
prove
British English: prove
/pruːv/ VERB
bear out If something proves to be true, it becomes clear after a period of time that it is true.
The reports proved to be true.
- American English: prove /ˈpruv/
- Arabic: يُثَبِّت
- Brazilian Portuguese: provar
- Chinese: 证明
- Croatian: dokazati
- Czech: ukázat se jakým
- Danish: bevise
- Dutch: bewijzen
- European Spanish: probar
- Finnish: todistaa
- French: s’avérer
- German: beweisen
- Greek: αποδεικνύω
- Italian: dimostrarsi
- Japanese: 立証する
- Korean: 입증하다
- Norwegian: bevise
- Polish: udowodnić
- European Portuguese: provar
- Romanian: a dovedi
- Russian: доказывать
- Spanish: probar
- Swedish: jäsa
- Thai: พิสูจน์
- Turkish: kanıtlamak
- Ukrainian: доводити
- Vietnamese: chứng minh
British English: prove
VERB /pruːv/
argue If you prove that something is true, you show by means of argument or evidence that it is definitely true.
You brought this charge. You prove it!
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Related terms of
prove
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Definition of prove from the Collins English Dictionary
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