confirm

verb

kən-ˈfərm How to pronounce confirm (audio)
Definition of confirmnext
1
as in to verify
to give evidence or testimony to the truth or factualness of several eyewitnesses who can confirm the defendant's account of what happened

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to approve
to give official acceptance of as satisfactory the senate must confirm an appointment to an ambassadorship

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb confirm contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of confirm are authenticate, corroborate, substantiate, validate, and verify. While all these words 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

When is authenticate a more appropriate choice than confirm?

While the synonyms authenticate and confirm are close in meaning, authenticate implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion.

handwriting experts authenticated the diaries

When is it sensible to use corroborate instead of confirm?

While in some cases nearly identical to confirm, corroborate suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established.

witnesses corroborated his story

When could substantiate be used to replace confirm?

The synonyms substantiate and confirm 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 confirm?

The meanings of validate and confirm largely overlap; however, validate implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof.

validated the hypothesis by experiments

When would verify be a good substitute for confirm?

In some situations, the words verify and confirm 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 confirm However, additional studies are necessary to fully confirm these findings. —Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 30 July 2025 Reid confirmed Tuesday that Moore had never played guard previously in his career. —Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2025 Trump also polled the members of Congress present about firing Powell and received a positive response, Reuters later confirmed. —Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025 Martinez's family confirmed his identity, according to reporting by ABC13. —Michael Nied, People.com, 15 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for confirm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confirm
  1. verify
  2. approve
  3. argue
  4. ratify
  5. finalize
  6. accept
Verb
  • The crime drama follows a handwritten manuscript of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, which makes its way from the Vatican library to a mob boss in New York, who turns to writer and Dante expert Nick Tosches to verify its authenticity.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2025
  • Users who verify their humanness with an Orb can claim up to 39 Worldcoin crypto tokens, valued at approximately $45.
    — Karoline Leonard, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Definition of verify
Verb
  • The commissioners almost always vote unanimously on agenda items at public meetings, from utility rates to approving new transmission lines.
    — Arpan Lobo, Freep.com, 24 July 2025
  • Higgins joined the majority in approving the item, which Rodriguez added to the agenda late enough that any commissioner could have requested a delay until the board’s next meeting.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 23 July 2025
Definition of approve
Verb
  • Lawyers for the National TPS Alliance argued that Noem's decisions were predetermined by President Donald Trump's campaign promises and motivated by racial animus.
    — JANIE HAR, Arkansas Online, 2 Aug. 2025
  • In its response to the lawsuit, the Trump administration argued the court did not have jurisdiction in reviewing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s determination to terminate TPS for the three countries.
    — Churchill Ndonwie, Miami Herald, 1 Aug. 2025
Definition of argue
Verb
  • If birthright citizenship were to be the exception, three-quarters of the states would still need to ratify the amendment.
    — John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • The contract was unanimously ratified by the 46-member bargaining unit.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 30 July 2025
Definition of ratify
Verb
  • Contracts were still being finalized on a long-term wastewater disposal plan.
    — Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 2 Aug. 2025
  • The plan, which is not yet finalized, targets seats won by Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), among others.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 2 Aug. 2025
Definition of finalize
Verb
  • To the local big-game purists, sharks were the stray dogs of the sea, and if Mundus was willing to control the population he was accepted as an eccentric asset to the community.
    — Pat Smith, Outdoor Life, 24 July 2025
  • The Dawg Pound is an iconic part of the Browns franchise and one of the best representations in sports of fans feeling like and being accepted as part of the organization.
    — Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
Definition of accept

Browse Nearby Words

confining
confirm
confirmable
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Cite this Entry

“Confirm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confirm. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

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Nglish: Translation of confirm for Spanish Speakers

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