confirm

con·firm

transitive verb \kən-ˈfərm\

Definition of CONFIRM

1

: to give approval to : ratify <confirm a treaty>

2

: to make firm or firmer : strengthen <confirm one's resolve>

3

: to administer the rite of confirmation to

4

: to give new assurance of the validity of : remove doubt about by authoritative act or indisputable fact <confirm a rumor> <confirm an order>

— con·firm·abil·i·ty \-ˌfər-mə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

— con·firm·able \-ˈfər-mə-bəl\ adjective

Examples of CONFIRM

1. The tests confirmed the doctors' suspicions of cancer.
2. The attack confirmed her worst fears about the neighborhood.
3. The award confirmed her status as one of the great movie actresses.
4. The dentist's office called to confirm your appointment for tomorrow.
5. We have a reservation for you for tomorrow night. Please call to confirm.

Origin of CONFIRM

Middle English, from Anglo-French cunfermer, from Latin confirmare, from com- + firmare to make firm, from firmus firm

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to CONFIRM

Synonyms

argue, attest, authenticate, bear out, certify, corroborate, substantiate, support, validate, verify, vindicate

Antonyms

disprove, rebut, refute

Related Words

avouch, back (up), testify (to), vouch (for), witness; guarantee, warrant; affirm, assert, aver, avow, declare, profess; demonstrate, document, establish, prove, reinforce (also reenforce)

Near Antonyms

contradict, gainsay; deny, disavow, disclaim; challenge, contest, dispute, question

Synonym Discussion of CONFIRM

confirm, corroborate, substantiate, verify, authenticate, validate mean to attest to the truth or validity of something. confirm implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact <confirmed the reports>. corroborate suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established <witnesses corroborated his story>. substantiate implies the offering of evidence that sustains the contention <the claims have yet to be substantiated>. verify implies the establishing of correspondence of actual facts or details with those proposed or guessed at <all statements of fact in the article have been verified>. authenticate implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion <handwriting experts authenticated the diaries>. validate implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof <validated the hypothesis by experiments>.

Rhymes with CONFIRM

affirm, bagworm, bloodworm, bookworm, budworm, cutworm, deworm, dew worm, earthworm, eelworm, flatworm, glowworm, heartworm, hookworm, hornworm, inchworm, infirm, long-term, lugworm, lungworm, midterm, pinworm, ringworm, roundworm, sandworm, screwworm, short-term, silkworm, tapeworm, webworm, woodworm