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Definition of prove
proved
;proved
orproven
play \ˈprü-vən, British also ˈprō-\;proving
play \ˈprü-viŋ\transitive verb
1 archaic : to learn or find out by experience
2a : to test the truth, validity, or genuineness of the exception proves the rule prove a will at probateb : to test the worth or quality of; specifically : to compare against a standard —sometimes used with up or outc : to check the correctness of (something, such as an arithmetic result)
3a : to establish the existence, truth, or validity of (as by evidence or logic) prove a theorem the charges were never proved in courtb : 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
provableness
nounRead the Latest from M-W
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
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In New York, mental health services typically will not provide inpatient treatment for more than a few days unless it can be proved that patients present an immediate threat to themselves or other people.
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Many other factors have been proven to impact the gap, including those mentioned in Reardon's research.
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Playing with 10 players proved to be difficult for a team that has struggled to score all season.
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Investors last week sent oil prices into a bear market as the oversupply has proved immune to the production limits set by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies including Russia.
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Prosecutors showed jurors scores of documents that sought to prove that Alavi was run not by its board of directors but by the Iranian government through its ambassador to the United Nations in New York.
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In the early days, however, Kelly may prove that few stars have that kind of crossover potential in our current media environment—one in which content must be increasingly platform- and format-specific.
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The European court's conclusion seems to confirm the Court of Cassation’s rejection of the Versailles court’s ruling, but does not contradict the most recent decision, from Paris, which found that W failed to prove causation.
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The achievement proved DNA could survive in dead things and spurred a new field of science: paleogenetics.
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.
PROVE Defined for English Language Learners
prove
playDefinition of prove for English Language Learners
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: to show the existence, truth, or correctness of (something) by using evidence, logic, etc.
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: to show that (someone or something) has a particular quality, ability, etc.
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: to turn out to be
PROVE Defined for Kids
prove
playDefinition of prove for Students
proved
;proved
orproven
\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
playLegal Definition of prove
proved
proved
orproven
\ˈprü-vən\ playproving
1 : to test the truth, validity, or genuineness of prove a will at probate
2a : 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
provableness
nounLearn More about prove
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for prove Spanish Central: Translation of prove Nglish: Translation of prove for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of prove for Arabic speakers
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