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prove

Pronunciation: /pruːv/

Translate prove | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of prove

verb (past participle proved or proven /ˈpruːv(ə)n, ˈprəʊ-/)

  • 1 [with object] demonstrate the truth or existence of (something) by evidence or argument:the concept is difficult to prove (as adjective proven)a proven ability to work hard
  • (US prove something up) Law establish the genuineness and validity of (a will).
  • 2 [with object and complement] demonstrate to be the specified thing by evidence or argument:if they are proved guilty we won’t trade with them
  • [no object, with complement] be seen or found to be:the scheme has proved a great success
  • (prove oneself) demonstrate one’s abilities or courage: she displayed an ingenuousness which sprung from a yearning need to prove herself
  • [with object] rare test the accuracy of (a mathematical calculation).
  • [with object] subject (a gun) to a testing process: firearms proved for black powder should not be used with smokeless ammunition
  • 3 [no object] (of bread dough) become aerated by the action of yeast; rise.

Phrases

not proven

Scots Law a verdict that there is insufficient evidence to establish guilt or innocence.

prove someone wrong

show that what someone says is wrong or incorrect:if you can prove me wrong let me know and I’ll update the review

Derivatives

provability

Pronunciation: /-ˈbɪlɪti/

noun

provable

adjective

provably

adverb

prover

noun

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French prover, from Latin probare 'test, approve, demonstrate', from probus 'good'

For complex historical reasons, prove developed two past participles: proved and proven. Both are correct and can be used more or less interchangeably (this hasn’t been proved yet; this hasn’t been proven yet). In British English proved is more common, with the exception that proven is always used when the word is an adjective coming before the noun: a proven talent, not a proved talent.

prove in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of prove in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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