prove

verb \ ˈprüv \

|Updated on: 5 Aug 2018

Usage guide: proved or proven?

Examples: prove in a Sentence

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

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provableness

noun

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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

But that proved to be a temporary recovery from the slippage that had begun years earlier, when cities such as Washington, Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, and San Francisco began to aggressively compete with Boston for tryouts.

— don aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, "A comeback role for Boston theaters?," 14 July 2018
Which brings readers back to that all-encompassing ivory bracelet, a mere object that surpasses borders, generations, relationships, social mores – proving to be an unexpected equalizer of sorts.

— terry hong, The Christian Science Monitor, "'What We Were Promised' depicts post-Mao China in a deft debut novel set in Shanghai," 13 July 2018
So somewhere between Domino Park and Hillsong Church, Bieber decided Hailey was the one, and spent the requisite $500,000 to prove it.

— sarah spellings, The Cut, "Justin Bieber Dropped $500,000 on Hailey Baldwin’s Engagement Ring," 13 July 2018
That proved to be the most valuable limited aside from Murphy’s American Crime Story, while HBO sits out the category entirely after a year where Big Little Lies all but swept.

— michael o'connell, The Hollywood Reporter, "Emmys: How Netflix Edged HBO and What It Means for This Year's Race," 12 July 2018
Nobel Prize–winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has suggested a prize system in which the government buys up the patents of drugs that prove themselves effective, and then allows them to be retailed as generics.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "It’s Normal for the U.S. to Put Corporate Profits Above Babies’ Health," 10 July 2018
Our ride out and back on the recreation path proves to be quite a bit more fun than going in circles in our back yard.

— andrew liptak, The Verge, "I couldn’t test-drive Radio Flyer’s Star Wars landspeeder, but my 5-year-old did," 6 July 2018
Seen today in Paris at the Giambattista Valli Haute Couture show, Macron’s unexpected choice of a T-shirt and jeans proved to be another stylistic departure.

— edward barsamian, Vogue, "Brigitte Macron at Couture? The French First Lady Arrives in an Unexpected Look," 2 July 2018
But even that proved to be too much after the death of family patriarch Paul J. Minor this winter.

— don stacom, Courant Community, "In Bristol, It's The End of The Line For Minor's Farm," 29 June 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

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

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