corroborate

verb

cor·rob·o·rate kə-ˈrä-bə-ˌrāt

corroborated; corroborating

Synonyms of corroborate next

transitive verb

: to support with evidence or authority : make more certain

corroboration

kə-ˌrä-bə-ˈrā-shən

noun

corroborative

kə-ˈrä-bə-ˌrā-tiv

-ˈrä-b(ə-)rə-

adjective

corroborator

kə-ˈrä-bə-ˌrā-tər

noun

corroboratory

kə-ˈrä-b(ə-)rə-ˌtȯr-ē

adjective

Choose the Right Synonym for corroborate

confirm, corroborate, substantiate, verify, authenticate, validate mean to attest to the truth or validity of something.

confirm implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact.

confirmed the reports

corroborate suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established.

witnesses corroborated his story

substantiate implies the offering of evidence that sustains the contention.

the claims have yet to be substantiated

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

authenticate implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion.

handwriting experts authenticated the diaries

validate implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof.

validated the hypothesis by experiments

Example Sentences

Studies that are wrong will be superseded by better studies with different results. Studies that are right will be corroborated by other good studies. —

Harriet Hall, Skeptic, 2007

Evidence like this is rarely conclusive, but it can help police corroborate testimony … —

David Fisher, Hard Evidence, 1995

… the great Dr. Woodruff … corroborated my doctor's belief that my two infections had been resolved … —

James Thurber 7 Mar. 1946, in Selected Letters Of James Thurber, (1980) 1981

the witnesses corroborated the policeman's testimony my personal experience does not corroborate your faith in the essential goodness of people

Recent Examples on the Web The Times corroborated his reporting and added more information about the fallout. —

Harold Maass, The Week, 19 June 2023 Live footage filmed by Palestine TV corroborated that timeline, showing Israeli soldiers walking by without stopping the settlers from setting the fire or intervening to extinguish it. —

Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN, 15 June 2023 Advertisement Anastasia sent The Post screenshots from her conversation with the bus driver, and other volunteers corroborated her account that buses were unable to travel farther than Radensk. —

Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 7 June 2023 In each case, The Times reviewed documents or otherwise corroborated their accounts. —

Jane Bradley, New York Times, 30 May 2023 Genetic research corroborates this view, showing that these Indigenous people descend from one of the first groups of modern humans to migrate out of Africa. —

Anvita Abbi, Scientific American, 16 May 2023 Predisposed to believe the worst, to the point of abandoning their duty to corroborate information before using it to seek surveillance authorization from the FISA court, the bureau wittingly allowed itself to be used by the Clinton campaign. —

The Editors, National Review, 16 May 2023 Variety reviewed hundreds of Jane Doe’s text messages with Allen, Bowers, her friend and family members that corroborate parts of her story. —

Elizabeth Wagmeister, Variety, 11 May 2023 Assistant state’s attorney Katie Rabenda argued the medical records are relevant to the case because Liu was stabbed during the incident, which could corroborate what his in-laws told police and support a possible self-defense argument. —

Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'corroborate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.