corroborate

verb

kə-ˈrä-bə-ˌrāt How to pronounce corroborate (audio)
Definition of corroboratenext
1
as in to confirm
to give evidence or testimony to the truth or factualness of the witnesses corroborated the policeman's testimony

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to reinforce
to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea) my personal experience does not corroborate your faith in the essential goodness of people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb corroborate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of corroborate are authenticate, confirm, substantiate, validate, and verify. While all these words mean "to attest to the truth or validity of something," corroborate suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established.

witnesses corroborated his story

When is it sensible to use authenticate instead of corroborate?

Although the words authenticate and corroborate have much in common, authenticate implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion.

handwriting experts authenticated the diaries

Where would confirm be a reasonable alternative to corroborate?

The synonyms confirm and corroborate are sometimes interchangeable, but confirm implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact.

confirmed the reports

When is substantiate a more appropriate choice than corroborate?

The meanings of substantiate and corroborate largely overlap; however, 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 corroborate?

While in some cases nearly identical to corroborate, validate implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof.

validated the hypothesis by experiments

When could verify be used to replace corroborate?

In some situations, the words verify and corroborate 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 corroborate Police identify suspect Police reviewed surveillance footage of the incident, which allegedly corroborated witness accounts of the hit-and-run. —Kansas City Star, 10 July 2025 Hunter said police were able to corroborate many details of the crime from Raybon. —Kelly Puente, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025 Deputies watched security camera footage from the marina, which corroborated the kayakers’ version of events, Linhardt said. —Miami Herald, 11 July 2025 Corporal Noel says the original case detectives interviewed Nancy’s boyfriend, Bobby Goodman, who corroborated parts of the story told by Paul Collins. —Dateline Nbc, NBC news, 9 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for corroborate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corroborate
  1. confirm
  2. reinforce
  3. verify
  4. bolster
  5. argue
  6. prove
Verb
  • To ensure your status has been updated, log back into your profile after a few days to confirm you are no longer listed as a donor.
    — Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • The victims were all affiliated with the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation, the Miami Yacht Club confirmed in an Instagram statement Monday.
    — David Chiu, People.com, 30 July 2025
Definition of confirm
Verb
  • As governments and large enterprises modernize their finance systems, there’s growing momentum to move beyond simple cloud migration—to embed AI in ways that reinforce trust.
    — Rahul Bhatia, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
  • This response reinforces the narrative that has defined her post-WWE career.
    — Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
Definition of reinforce
Verb
  • From finding quality products to verifying seller credibility and navigating custom craft templates, here are her top five tips for buying crafts on Etsy.
    — Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 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
  • Advocates are calling for more public funding to bolster child care centers serving low-income Nashville families.
    — Rachel Wegner, The Tennessean, 26 July 2025
  • By now, a majority of Chicagoans have caught on to CTU’s true purpose, which is to bolster its membership ranks no matter how low CPS’ student population drops.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2025
Definition of bolster
Verb
  • But McBride argues that, by this point, Americans had begun viewing hair style as a personal choice, making Jones’s ultimatums controversial.
    — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 21 July 2025
  • Critics will argue that normalization is politically suicidal for any Pakistani leader.
    — Jack Rosen, New York Daily News, 21 July 2025
Definition of argue
Verb
  • While many leather bags are structured and heavy even before packing, this one felt lighter than even some nylon alternatives and proved easy to carry whether tossed over a shoulder or worn crossbody with the long adjustable strap (sold separately).
    — Talia Ergas, Travel + Leisure, 22 July 2025
  • India’s Prime Day 2025 lineup, scheduled July 12-14, proved to be popular with Prime Video members globally.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 July 2025
Definition of prove

Browse Nearby Words

corrivals
corroborate
corroborated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Corroborate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corroborate. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on corroborate

Nglish: Translation of corroborate for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Better Ways to Say 'This Sucks'

8 Words with Fascinating Histories
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
iykyk if you know you know slang written in a neon
Quiz: Abbreviation Station TFW you have to figure out what 15 abbreviations ...
See All