proof of concept

noun

plural proofs of concept

: something that demonstrates the feasibility of a concept (such as a product idea or a business plan)

Even if it succeeds, the $5.9 billion reactor will be just a proof of concept, with commercial fusion power still decades away.

—Corey S. Powell

Malware and virus-writing used to be something hobbyist hackers did for fun, as proofs of concept. Not anymore.

—Mat Honan

—often hyphenated when used before another noun

No invention is worth anything without the proof-of-concept prototype.

—Shintaro Asano

… proof-of-concept experiments funded with public money and years away from any commercial application, were sponsored by university biology departments.

—Andrew Curry

Examples of proof of concept in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Well, the proof of concept for this film starred an Instagram-famous performer. — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026

The launch was a proof of concept, with neither announcing an operational version of the system. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026

The demo impresses the board, but then the project stalls somewhere between the proof of concept and the balance sheet. — Jakob Freund, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026

The outcome is just as resplendent as nature’s own work, and Blue Nile’s Freshwater Cultured Pearl Bracelet is proof of concept. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above