prove

verb \ ˈprüv \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of prove

proved; proved or proven play \ˈprü-vən, British also ˈprō-\; proving play \ˈprü-viŋ\

transitive verb

1 archaic : to learn or find out by experience

2 a : to test the truth, validity, or genuineness of

the exception proves the rule

prove a will at probate

b : to test the worth or quality of; specifically : to compare against a standard —sometimes used with up or out

c : to check the correctness of (something, such as an arithmetic result)

3 a : to establish the existence, truth, or validity of (as by evidence or logic)

prove a theorem

the charges were never proved in court

b : to demonstrate as having a particular quality or worth

the vaccine has been proven effective after years of tests

proved herself a great actress

4 : to show (oneself) to be worthy or capable

eager to prove myself in the new job

intransitive verb

: to turn out especially after trial or test

the new drug proved effective

—

provable

play \ˈprü-və-bəl\ adjective

—

provableness

noun

—

provably

play \ˈprü-və-blē\ adverb

—

prover

play \ˈprü-vər\ noun

See prove defined for English-language learners

See prove defined for kids

proved or proven?

The past participle proven, originally the past participle of preve, a Middle English variant of prove that survived in Scotland, has gradually worked its way into standard English over the past three and a half centuries. It seems to have first become established in legal use and to have come only slowly into literary use. Tennyson was one of its earliest frequent users, probably for metrical reasons. It was disapproved by 19th century grammarians, one of whom included it in a list of "words that are not words." Surveys made some 50 or 60 years ago indicated that proved was about four times as frequent as proven. But our evidence from the last 30 or 35 years shows this no longer to be the case. As a past participle proven is now about as frequent as proved in all contexts. As an attributive adjective

- proved or proven gas reserves

proven is much more common than proved.

Examples of prove in a Sentence

The charges against him were never proved in court.
The government failed to prove its case.
It could not be proven that the suspect stole the money.
A person who is charged with a crime is considered innocent until proved guilty.
mathematicians trying to prove a theorem
To prove her point, she got out the old research.
The tests proved the vaccine to be effective.
Her second album was a hit that proved her critics wrong.

Recent Examples of prove from the Web

This tit-for-tat may, in the end, prove mostly bluster.

— The Economist, "America’s chemicals industry is booming. But politics may get in its way," 14 Apr. 2018
Subsequent experiments proved that this indeed happens.

— NBC News, "What is relativity? Einstein's mind-bending theory explained," 13 Apr. 2018
The recordings could prove valuable to the government's criminal investigation of Michael Cohen.

— gloria borger, CNN, "Exclusive: FBI seized recordings between Trump's lawyer and Stormy Daniels' former lawyer," 13 Apr. 2018
Then Fountain Valley welcomed Los Alamitos to its field, and the game itself would prove how razor-thin the margin between the teams can be.

— andrew turner, latimes.com, "Fountain Valley baseball cannot solve Will Laws in loss to Los Alamitos," 12 Apr. 2018
But Wednesday’s scrimmage proved that while there is still much work to be done, the defense saw a significant progression from the first scrimmage having caused a strip and fumble and at least a handful of interceptions.

— shannon green, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Three things we learned after UCF football's scrimmage," 12 Apr. 2018
The competition proved fiercer than expected, with a Lowry 3-pointer and a Lowry free throw putting Toronto up 95-93 with 3:54 to play in the fourth.

— ira winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Heat go overtime for season-ending win over Raptors, No. 6 seed, matchup vs. 76ers," 12 Apr. 2018
Poulin proved instrumental on both offense and defense, notching two goals in the Raiders’ ninth-straight state championship victory.

— BostonGlobe.com, "2017-18 Field Hockey All-Scholastics," 11 Apr. 2018
As almost 1 in 68 children are identified as having autism, these tips can prove invaluable for parents, teachers and others concerned about being a support for children.

— damar services, Indianapolis Star, "7 essential things to know when interacting with children with autism," 11 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of prove

Middle English, from Anglo-French prover, pruver, from Latin probare to test, prove, from probus good, honest, from pro- for, in favor + -bus (akin to Old English bēon to be) — more at pro-, be

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

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prove Synonyms

PROVE Defined for English Language Learners

prove

verb

Definition of prove for English Language Learners

: to show the existence, truth, or correctness of (something) by using evidence, logic, etc.
: to show that (someone or something) has a particular quality, ability, etc.
: to turn out to be

PROVE Defined for Kids

prove

verb \ ˈprüv \

Definition of prove for Students

proved; proved or proven \ˈprü-vən\; proving

1 : to show the truth or existence of something with facts

I can prove he's guilty.

2 : to turn out to be

The climb proved more difficult than they had expected.

3 : to check the correctness of

prove the math theory

4 : to test by experiment or by a standard Tests proved that the vaccine is effective.

Law Dictionary

prove

transitive verb \ ˈprüv \

legal Definition of prove

proved; proved or proven play \ˈprü-vən\; proving

1 : to test the truth, validity, or genuineness of

prove a will at probate

2 a : to establish the existence, truth, or validity of

the charges were never proved in court

b : to provide sufficient proof of or that

proved the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt

—

provable

play \ˈprü-və-bəl\ adjective

—

provableness

noun

—

provably

play \ˈprü-və-blē\ adverb

Learn More about prove

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Examples of prove in a Sentence

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PROVE Defined for English Language Learners

prove

Definition of prove for English Language Learners

PROVE Defined for Kids

prove

Definition of prove for Students

Law Dictionary

prove

legal Definition of prove

provable

provableness

provably

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