validates; validated; validating
1
: to make (something) valid: such as
a
: to state or show that something is legal or official
The court validated the contract.
A judge still needs to validate the election.
b
: to put a mark on (something) to show that it has been checked and is official or accepted
Customs officers validated our passports.
They validated our parking ticket as soon as we arrived. [=they stamped the ticket so that we would not have to pay for parking]
2
: to show that something is real or correct
The claims cannot yet be validated. [=confirmed]
experiments that are designed to validate [=prove] a hypothesis
3
: to show that someone's feelings, opinions, etc., are fair and reasonable
The decline in sales only validated our concerns.
Cite this Entry
“Validate.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/validate. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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