validate

verb

val·​i·​date ˈva-lə-ˌdāt 

validated; validating

transitive verb

1

a

: to make legally valid : ratify

b

: to grant official sanction to by marking

validated her passport

c

: to confirm the validity of (an election)

also : to declare (a person) elected

2

a

: to support or corroborate on a sound or authoritative basis

experiments designed to validate the hypothesis

b

: to recognize, establish, or illustrate the worthiness or legitimacy of

validate his concerns

validator

ˈva-lə-ˌdā-tər 

noun

Did you know?

When validate first entered the language in the mid-17th century, its meaning was tied fast to its close relative, the adjective valid, meaning “executed with the proper legal authority and formalities”: to validate something, such as a marriage or treaty, was to make it legally valid. This meaning is still current, but the word is now used in nonlegal and informal contexts as well. If the museum you visit validates your parking garage ticket, you're given an official mark on the ticket and you do not have to pay full price for parking. If someone’s claims cannot be validated, those claims cannot be confirmed. And if a coach puts an untested player into the game and the player scores the winning point, the player’s strong performance validates the coach’s decision.

Synonyms of validate

• verify
• confirm

Choose the Right Synonym for validate

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.

confirmed the reports

corroborate suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established.

witnesses corroborated his story

substantiate implies the offering of evidence that sustains the contention.

the claims have yet to be substantiated

verify implies the establishing of correspondence of actual facts or details with those proposed or guessed at.

all statements of fact in the article have been verified

authenticate implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion.

handwriting experts authenticated the diaries

validate implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof.

validated the hypothesis by experiments

Examples of validate in a Sentence

The court validated the contract.

A judge still needs to validate the election.

Customs officers validated our passports.

The decline in sales only validated our concerns.

Recent Examples on the Web

The technology department noted that employees cannot use Poppy without validating its responses for accuracy and compliance with state policies. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 13 Jan. 2026

Yet beneath her polished exterior is a desire to be chosen, adored and validated. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026

Wells Fargo account statement — the company’s first financial document — and an Apple-1 computer prototype board used to validate Apple’s first computer. —Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026

One player had claimed to have a relative still living in Eritrea and this led to the police driving out to a village in the countryside hours away and bringing that person back to Asmara to validate his status. —Simon Hughes, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin validātus, past participle of validāre "to make valid," derivative of Latin validus "in good health, having legal authority" — more at valid

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

validate

verb

val·​i·​date ˈval-ə-ˌdāt 

validated; validating

: to make valid

validation

ˌval-ə-ˈdā-shən

noun

Legal Definition

validate

transitive verb

val·​i·​date ˈva-lə-ˌdāt 

validated; validating

1

a

: to make valid

b

: to grant official sanction to by marking

2

: to confirm the validity of (an election)

validation

ˌva-lə-ˈdā-shən 

noun