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Webster 1913 Edition

Prove

Prove

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Proved
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Proving
.]
[OE.
prover
, F.
prouver
, fr. L.
probare
to try, approve, prove, fr.
probus
good, proper. Cf.
Probable
,
Proof
,
Probe
.]
1.
To try or to ascertain by an experiment, or by a test or standard; to test;
as, to
prove
the strength of gunpowder or of ordnance; to
prove
the contents of a vessel by a standard measure.
Thou hast
proved
mine heart.
Ps. xvii. 3.
2.
To evince, establish, or ascertain, as truth, reality, or fact, by argument, testimony, or other evidence.
They have inferred much from slender premises, and conjectured when they could not
prove
.
J. H. Newman.
3.
To ascertain or establish the genuineness or validity of; to verify;
as, to
prove
a will
.
4.
To gain experience of the good or evil of; to know by trial; to experience; to suffer.
Where she, captived long, great woes did
prove
.
Spenser.
5.
(Arith.)
To test, evince, ascertain, or verify, as the correctness of any operation or result; thus, in subtraction, if the difference between two numbers, added to the lesser number, makes a sum equal to the greater, the correctness of the subtraction is proved.
6.
(Printing)
To take a trial impression of; to take a proof of;
as, to
prove
a page
.
Syn. – To try; verify; justify; confirm; establish; evince; manifest; show; demonstrate.

Prove

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To make trial; to essay.
2.
To be found by experience, trial, or result; to turn out to be;
as, a medicine
proves
salutary; the report
proves
false.
“The case proves mortal.”
Arbuthnot.
So life a winter’s morn may
prove
.
Keble.
3.
To succeed; to turn out as expected.
[Obs.]
“The experiment proved not.”
Bacon.

Webster 1828 Edition

Prove

PROVE

,
Verb.
T.
prov. [L. probo.]
1.
To try; to ascertain some unknown quality or truth by an experiment, or by a test or standard. Thus we prove the strength of gunpowder by experiment; we prove the strength or solidity of cannon by experiment. We prove the contents of a vessel by comparing it with a standard measure.
2.
To evince, establish or ascertain as truth, reality or fact, by testimony or other evidence. The plaintiff in a suit, must prove the truth of his declaration; the prosecutor must prove his charges against the accused.
3.
To evince truth by argument, induction or reasoning; to deduce certain conclusions from propositions that are true or admitted. If it is admitted that every immoral act is dishonorable to a rational being, and that dueling is an immoral act; then it is proved by necessary inference, that dueling is dishonorable to a rational being.
4.
To ascertain the genuineness or validity of; to verify; as, to prove a will.
5.
To experience; to try by suffering or encountering; to gain certain knowledge by the operation of something on ourselves, or by some act of our own.
Let him in arms the power of Turnus prove.
6.
In arithmetic, to show, evince or ascertain the correctness of any operation or result. Thus in subtraction, if the difference between two numbers, added to the lesser number, makes a sum equal to the greater, the correctness of the subtraction is proved. In other words, if the sum of the remainder and of the subtrahend, is equal to the minuend, the operation of subtraction is proved to be correct.
7.
To try; to examine.
Prove your own selves. 2 Cor. 13.
8.
Men prove God, when by their provocations they put his patience to trial, Ps.95.; or when by obedience they make trial how much he will countenance such conduct, Mal.3.

PROVE

,
Verb.
I.
To make trial; to essay.
The sons prepare--
To prove by arms whose fate it was to reign.
1.
To be found or to have its qualities ascertained by experience or trial; as, a plant or medicine proves salutary.
2.
To be ascertained by the event or something subsequent; as the report proves to be true, or proves to be false.
3.
To be found true or correct by the result.
4.
To make certain; to show; to evince.
This argument proves how erroneous is the common opinion.
5.
To succeed.
If the experiment proved not--
[Not in use.]

Definition 2024

prove

prove

See also: prové, próve, and prøve

English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pɹuːv/
  • Rhymes: -uːv

Alternative forms

Verb

prove ‎(third-person singular simple present proves, present participle proving, simple past proved, past participle proved or proven)

  1. (transitive) To demonstrate that something is true or viable; to give proof for.
    • 1749, John Cleland, Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, Part 3
      Mr. H …, whom no distinctions of that sort seemed to disturb, scarce gave himself or me breathing time from the last encounter, but, as if he had task'd himself to prove that the appearances of his vigour were not signs hung out in vain, in a few minutes he was in a condition for renewing the onset
    • 2012 August 5, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “I Love Lisa” (season 4, episode 15; originally aired 02/11/1993)”, in (Please provide the title of the work):
      Valentine’s Day means different things for different people. For Homer, it means forking over a hundred dollars for a dusty box of chocolates at the Kwik-E-Mart after characteristically forgetting the holiday yet again. For Ned, it’s another opportunity to prove his love for his wife. Most germane to the episode, for Lisa, Valentine’s Day means being the only person in her entire class to give Ralph a Valentine after noticing him looking crestfallen and alone at his desk.
    • 2013 June 7, Gary Younge, “Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 18:
      WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets. They also exposed the blatant discrepancy between the west's professed values and actual foreign policies.
    I will prove that my method is more effective than yours.‎
  2. (intransitive) To turn out; to manifest.
    It proved to be a cold day.‎
  3. (copulative) To turn out to be.
    • 1964, Jean Merrill, The Pushcart War, 2014 The New York Review Children's Collection edition, ISBN 9781590178195, chapter 33, page 199:
      This battle did not take place in the streets. It took place entirely in words, and it was to prove the turning point in the war.
    • 2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:
      He met Luis Suarez's cross at the far post, only for Chelsea keeper Petr Cech to show brilliant reflexes to deflect his header on to the bar. Carroll turned away to lead Liverpool's insistent protests that the ball had crossed the line but referee Phil Dowd and assistant referee Andrew Garratt waved play on, with even a succession of replays proving inconclusive.
    Have an exit strategy should your calculations prove incorrect.‎
  4. (transitive) To put to the test, to make trial of.
    They took the experimental car to the proving-grounds.‎
    The exception proves the rule.‎
    The hypothesis has not been proven to our satisfaction.‎
  5. (transitive) To ascertain or establish the genuineness or validity of; to verify.
    to prove a will
  6. (archaic, intransitive) To experience
    • Spenser
      Where she, captived long, great woes did prove.
  7. (printing, dated, transitive) To take a trial impression of; to take a proof of.
    to prove a page
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations

Etymology 2

Simple past form of proove, conjugated in the Germanic strong declension, on the pattern of choose → chose.

Pronunciation

Verb

prove

  1. simple past tense of proove

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: working · breath · camp · #990: prove · engaged · America · servant

Dutch

Pronunciation

Hyphenation: pro‧ve

Noun

prove c ‎(plural proven, diminutive provetje n)

  1. A gift out of love
  2. A life-long maintenance

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin proba.

Noun

prove f ‎(plural provis)

  1. proof
  2. test, examination, trial
  3. evidence
  4. try

Related terms

Italian

Noun

prove f

  1. plural of prova

Anagrams

Portuguese

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɔvi

Verb

prove

  1. First-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of provar
  2. Third-person singular (ele, ela, also used with tu and você?) present subjunctive of provar
  3. Third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of provar
  4. Third-person singular (você) negative imperative of provar

Etymology

From Middle English proven, from Old English prōfian ‎(“to esteem, regard as, evince, try, prove”) and Old French prover ‎(“to prove”), both from Late Latin probō ‎(“test, try, examine, approve, show to be good or fit, prove”, verb), from probus ‎(“good, worthy, excellent”), from Proto-Indo-European *pro-bhwo- ‎(“being in front, prominent”), from Proto-Indo-European *pro-, *per- ‎(“toward”) + Proto-Indo-European *bhu- ‎(“to be”). Displaced native Middle English sothen ‎(“to prove”), from Old English sōþian ‎(“to prove”). More at for, be, soothe.

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