lend weight/credence/credibility
idiom
: to make something seem true or correct
—usually + to
A growing amount of evidence lends weight/credence/credibility to their theory.
Examples of lend weight/credence/credibility in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Overall, Biden has struggled early on to lend credence to the central pillars of his candidacy.
—
Eli Stokols, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2022
There’s the star-power option, when someone like Benedict Cumberbatch is brought in to lend weight to a production.
—Sebastian Modak, New York Times, 28 July 2023
But the defining quality of Alex Jones was a willingness — more than that, a compulsion — to lend credibility to conspiratorial nonsense.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 30 July 2022
Many of the questions that top Republicans put to Wray on Wednesday were seemingly designed to lend credence to these theories.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 14 July 2023
Trump tried to install Clark as acting attorney general in the days before the Jan. 6 insurrection when top Justice Department officials refused to lend credibility to his false voter fraud claims.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2022
The point of renaming larger groups is not only to retain and spam the already-existing community but to also appear higher in Facebook’s search and recommendations bar, which helps lend credibility to those curious about the movement.
—NBC News, 12 Feb. 2022
Experts who lend credence to the threat told ABC News that the massive potential risks require urgent attention and stiff oversight; while skeptics warned that grave forecasts fuel a misunderstanding about the capabilities of AI and distract from current harms caused by the technology.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 21 July 2023
Given rampant second-guessing of Putin’s military strategy, the display of China and Russia as allies against the United States will also lend credibility to Putin’s assertions that the Ukraine war is the crucible by which Russia is creating the new post-American order.
—Robyn Dixon, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Mar. 2023
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Eli Stokols, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2022
There’s the star-power option, when someone like Benedict Cumberbatch is brought in to lend weight to a production.
—Sebastian Modak, New York Times, 28 July 2023
But the defining quality of Alex Jones was a willingness — more than that, a compulsion — to lend credibility to conspiratorial nonsense.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 30 July 2022
Many of the questions that top Republicans put to Wray on Wednesday were seemingly designed to lend credence to these theories.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 14 July 2023
Trump tried to install Clark as acting attorney general in the days before the Jan. 6 insurrection when top Justice Department officials refused to lend credibility to his false voter fraud claims.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2022
The point of renaming larger groups is not only to retain and spam the already-existing community but to also appear higher in Facebook’s search and recommendations bar, which helps lend credibility to those curious about the movement.
—NBC News, 12 Feb. 2022
Experts who lend credence to the threat told ABC News that the massive potential risks require urgent attention and stiff oversight; while skeptics warned that grave forecasts fuel a misunderstanding about the capabilities of AI and distract from current harms caused by the technology.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 21 July 2023
Given rampant second-guessing of Putin’s military strategy, the display of China and Russia as allies against the United States will also lend credibility to Putin’s assertions that the Ukraine war is the crucible by which Russia is creating the new post-American order.
—Robyn Dixon, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lend weight/credence/credibility.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Lend weight/credence/credibility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lend%20weight%2Fcredence%2Fcredibility. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.
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