substantiate

play

verb sub·stan·ti·ate \ səb-ˈstan(t)-shē-ˌāt \

Definition of substantiate

substantiated; substantiating

transitive verb

1 :to give substance or form to :embody

2 :to establish by proof or competent evidence :verify

substantiate a charge

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substantiation

play \-ˌstan(t)-shē-ˈā-shən\ noun

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substantiative

play \-ˈstan(t)-shē-ˌā-tiv\ adjective

See substantiate defined for English-language learners

See substantiate defined for kids

Examples of substantiate in a Sentence

substantiated his claim to local mountaineering fame with a photo of himself on the summit of Mount McKinley
Mr. MacGregor couldn't substantiate that it was Peter, and not some other rabbit, in the cabbage patch.

Recent Examples of substantiate from the Web

Cameon said parts of Robles’ story still need to be substantiated by evidence.

— david hernandez, sandiegouniontribune.com, "More than a month later, few answers in National City deadly shooting," 6 Aug. 2017
A spokesperson for the housecleaning app Handy said that in 2016, more than 500 users submitted substantiated claims of theft to the company.

— hannah seligson, Cosmopolitan, "Your Mobile Apps Are More Dangerous Than You Think," 15 July 2017
But the various reports later proved false or could not be substantiated.

— kareem fahim, Washington Post, "Syrian war monitor reports death of ISIS leader but U.S. can’t confirm," 11 July 2017
Knight's attorney in Indiana, Jimmy Voyles, said investigators from both the FBI and the United States Army were involved and that neither could substantiate the allegations.

— robert king, The Courier-Journal, "Bob Knight was accused of groping women at U.S. spy agency," 7 July 2017
Since 2014, there have been 24 official hazing investigations on Parris Island, half of them substantiated.

— janet reitman, New York Times, "How the Death of a Muslim Recruit Revealed a Culture of Brutality in the Marines," 6 July 2017
A cover story Wired published last week lays out much of the evidence substantiating the claims of Russian involvement.

— dan goodin, Ars Technica, "Tuesday’s massive ransomware outbreak was, in fact, something much worse," 28 June 2017
Arrington said detectives were never able to substantiate that claim.

— prescotte stokes iii, AL.com, "Teen girl shot in the leg wasn't the intended target; Her brother was, police say," 26 June 2017
At first, state regulators didn't substantiate the February incident.

— brad schmidt, OregonLive.com, "Oregon kids at 'elevated risk' of harm inside day cares," 24 June 2017

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

First Known Use of substantiate

1610

substantiate Synonyms

Synonyms

demonstrate, prove, show, establish

Antonyms

disprove

Related Words

attest, authenticate, bear out, document, evidence, support, sustain, uphold; confirm, corroborate, justify, validate, verify

Near Antonyms

confute, discredit, invalidate, rebut, refute

Synonym Discussion of substantiate

confirm, corroborate, substantiate, verify, authenticate, validate mean to attest to the truth or validity of something. confirm implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact.