Word Direct Answers

What does "prove" mean?

Prove: 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.

Additional senses

  1. 2.To ascertain or establish the genuineness or validity of; to verify; as, to prove a will.
  2. 3.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.
  3. 4.(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.
  4. 5.(Printing) To take a trial impression of; to take a proof of; as, to prove a page.
  5. 6.To make trial; to essay.
  6. 7.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.
  7. 8.To succeed; to turn out as expected. [Obs.] "The experiment proved not." Bacon.

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