circumstantial evidence

noun

|Updated on: 6 Jun 2018

Definition of circumstantial evidence

: 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

Recent Examples of circumstantial evidence from the Web

With all of the other circumstantial evidence — the followers of non-household names with Colangelo connections, etc.

— david murphy, Philly.com, "The big problem for Sixers and Bryan Colangelo: Perception matters | David Murphy," 30 May 2018
The report cites circumstantial evidence pointing to Colangelo and added that all five accounts were being monitored before contacting the 76ers about two of the accounts, but purposely did not mention the other three accounts.

— geoffrey c. arnold, OregonLive.com, "Philadelphia 76ers investigating whether president Bryan Colangelo used fake Twitter accounts to criticize players: Report," 30 May 2018
Though crowd-sourcing, users began to stockpile more circumstantial evidence that the accounts were linked, possibly even tying in Colangelo's wife.

— the heat index, azcentral, "Twitter reacts to story on former Suns GM Bryan Colangelo's possible burner accounts," 30 May 2018
And this becomes another piece of circumstantial evidence that appears to tie Sheila Keen to this shooting.

— CBS News, "Can new DNA tests help police crack the "killer clown" cold case?," 21 Apr. 2018
But strong circumstantial evidence points toward Dickson.

— the washington post, AL.com, "Tuskegee airman's remains possibly found in Austria after 73 years," 9 Apr. 2018
That they were never heard from again—and that the Tower was then under the control of one of Richard’s henchmen—should provide enough circumstantial evidence to condemn the king.

— andrew roberts, WSJ, "‘Richard III’ Review: The Villain Wore a Crown," 30 Apr. 2018
The United States and its allies have cited circumstantial evidence to blame the Syrian military for the attack.

— carol morello, Washington Post, "Chemical weapons watchdog to send investigators to Syria," 10 Apr. 2018
But strong circumstantial evidence points toward Dickson.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "After 73 years, remains of Tuskegee Airman whose plane went down in WWII may have been found," 8 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'circumstantial evidence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.