Definition of corroboratenext

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb corroborate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of corroborate are authenticate, confirm, substantiate, validate, and verify. While all these words mean "to attest to the truth or validity of something," corroborate suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established.

witnesses corroborated his story

When is it sensible to use authenticate instead of corroborate?

Although the words authenticate and corroborate have much in common, authenticate implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion.

handwriting experts authenticated the diaries

Where would confirm be a reasonable alternative to corroborate?

The synonyms confirm and corroborate are sometimes interchangeable, but confirm implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact.

confirmed the reports

When is substantiate a more appropriate choice than corroborate?

The meanings of substantiate and corroborate largely overlap; however, substantiate implies the offering of evidence that sustains the contention.

the claims have yet to be substantiated

In what contexts can validate take the place of corroborate?

While in some cases nearly identical to corroborate, validate implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof.

validated the hypothesis by experiments

When could verify be used to replace corroborate?

In some situations, the words verify and corroborate are roughly equivalent. However, 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of corroborate The earliest fire to which authorities allege Farinacci confessed to last week — and investigators were able to corroborate — happened on July 6, 2025, near Centennial Trail. Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026 According to state police, troopers were able to corroborate the victim’s account with dashboard camera footage from their vehicle. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026 Now, a lawsuit filed by a producer who claims to have worked on the album appears to corroborate those rumors. Walden Green, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026 The allegations have been corroborated by other student loan borrower advocates. Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for corroborate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corroborate
Verb
  • The sightlines are good and the atmosphere lively, confirming the potential of Plymouth, the biggest city in the country never to have hosted a top-flight football club.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In June, officials confirmed the formation of an El Niño, the natural warming of parts of the central Pacific that alters weather worldwide, that is expected to grow to historic strength.
    ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The buffers that have minimized the disruption so far will hold for only so long and must be reinforced if the world is to endure future shocks.
    Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Human-scale FloatForms will require reinforced and even mechanically interlocked latches as well as GPS or visual sensing.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said NCSIST had already verified jamming capabilities for the newer frequency and would introduce them through future upgrades.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2026
  • To combat the risk of fraud, the Biden administration created a plan to verify SIV information of individuals who could have connections to employers later suspected of such schemes.
    Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 15 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Kim also has bolstered his diplomatic credentials by aligning with Russia over its war against Ukraine and taking steps to deepen cooperation with China.
    Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Here, the wealthy and asthmatic young politician, bolstered by time spent outside among manly men, grew strong enough to meet his destiny.
    Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Alex Wagner, who served as assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs during the Biden administration, argued recruiting has remained remarkably insulated from those political battles.
    Steven Beynon, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • But others take issue with her premise the exercises are unnecessary, arguing that scaling them back puts US forces –– almost 30,000 of them stationed in South Korea and over 50,000 more in nearby Japan –– in a more dangerous situation.
    Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Attempts to lure Marseille’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha have proven fruitless, with neither appearing likely to advance at this stage.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The bank argued that combination may prove difficult to sustain.
    Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Corroborate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corroborate. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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