Synonym Chooser

How does the verb verify contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of verify are authenticate, confirm, corroborate, substantiate, and validate. While all these words mean "to attest to the truth or validity of something," 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

When is it sensible to use authenticate instead of verify?

The meanings of authenticate and verify largely overlap; however, authenticate implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion.

handwriting experts authenticated the diaries

When could confirm be used to replace verify?

While the synonyms confirm and verify are close in meaning, confirm implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact.

confirmed the reports

Where would corroborate be a reasonable alternative to verify?

Although the words corroborate and verify have much in common, corroborate suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established.

witnesses corroborated his story

When might substantiate be a better fit than verify?

The synonyms substantiate and verify are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 verify?

The words validate and verify can be used in similar contexts, but validate implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof.

validated the hypothesis by experiments

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 verify The confusion highlights the difficulty of verifying information on social media. Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025 Such physical dummies will always be needed for vehicle safety tests, and to verify the accuracy of virtual tests, O’Connor said. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 23 June 2025 News outlets, including The New York Times and The Associated Press, were not immediately able to verify Trump’s claim with either country. Chantelle Lee, Time, 23 June 2025 That does not mean they should not be scrutinized, and any errors, if verified, should be corrected for the historical record. Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for verify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for verify
confirm
Verb
  • Ralphs’ death was confirmed in a statement from his representative, though no exact date or cause of death was given.
    August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
  • The deal, however, wasn’t immediately publicly confirmed by either the Iranian or Israeli governments, and the missiles kept flying.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 24 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Verify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/verify. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on verify

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