circumstantial evidence

noun

: evidence that tends to prove a fact by proving other events or circumstances which afford a basis for a reasonable inference of the occurrence of the fact at issue

Examples of circumstantial evidence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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She was acquitted of the related arson charge, which prosecutors said was primarily based on circumstantial evidence. Emily Blackwood, People.com, 19 July 2025 The Innocence Project’s lengthy petition included a 126-page, first-person declaration from Peterson, countering some of the prosecution’s original circumstantial evidence against him. Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 31 May 2025 There is also other circumstantial evidence, but it is riddled with conflicting evidence from seemingly everyone involved. James Powel, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2025 As van Dokkum explained, there is a wealth of circumstantial evidence for this formation channel for the black hole in the Infinity Galaxy. Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for circumstantial evidence

Word History

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of circumstantial evidence was in 1736

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Cite this Entry

“Circumstantial evidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circumstantial%20evidence. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Legal Definition

circumstantial evidence

see evidence

More from Merriam-Webster on circumstantial evidence

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