prove S2 W1 / pruv / 动词 ( past tense proved , past participle proved or proven / pruv ə n / especially American English )

1 show something is true [及物动词] to show that something is true by providing facts, information etc → proof :

You’re wrong, and I can prove it.

prove (that)

Tests have proved that the system works.

prove something to somebody

I knew he had done it, but there was no way I could prove it to Eddie.

prove sb’s guilt/innocence

He claims the police destroyed records that could prove the officer’s guilt.

prove somebody wrong/innocent etc

They say I’m too old, but I’m going to prove them all wrong.

To prove his point (= show that he was right ) , he mentioned several other experiments which had produced similar results. ► You prove something to someone : I will prove to you (NOT prove you) that I’m right.

2 be [连系动词] if someone or something proves difficult, helpful, a problem etc, they are difficult, helpful, a problem etc :

The recent revelations may prove embarrassing to the President.

prove to be something

The design proved to be a success.

3 prove yourself/prove something (to somebody) to show how good you are at doing something :

When I first started this job, I felt I had to prove myself.

4 prove yourself (to be) something to show other people that you are a particular type of person :

She’s proved herself to be a very reliable worker.

5 what is somebody trying to prove? spoken said when you are annoyed by someone’s actions and do not understand them

6 prove a point if someone does something to prove a point, they do it to show that they are right or that they can do something :

I’m not going to run the marathon just to prove a point.

7 bread [不及物动词] if dough (= unbaked bread mixture ) proves, it rises and becomes light because of the yeast in it

8 law [及物动词] law to show that a will has been made in the correct way

— provable 形容词

COLLOCATIONS

名词

prove somebody’s guilt/innocence There was no way she could prove her innocence.

prove the existence of something These pictures do not prove the existence of water on Mars.

prove a theory No evidence emerged to prove either theory.

prove your case The state had failed to prove its case.

prove your point To prove her point, Dr Hurdal showed her audience a scan of a patient’s brain.

短语

prove somebody wrong/right See if you can prove me wrong.

prove somebody guilty/innocent The law states that you are innocent until proved guilty.

THESAURUS

confirm if a piece of new information confirms an idea or belief that people already have, it shows that it is definitely true : Police have found new evidence that confirms his story. | The discovery seems to confirm that people lived here over 10,000 years ago.

prove to show that something is definitely true by providing facts : DNA tests proved that he was the father of the child. | I think we’ve proved that we are a good team.

back up to provide additional information to help prove that a statement, belief, or explanation is correct : When you write a history essay, you should back up all your points with facts. | Wright was accused of pretending to be injured, and this was backed up by video evidence.

support to help to prove that a belief, idea etc is probably true : Do you have any evidence to support these claims? | The notion that women are worse drivers than men is simply not supported by the facts.

bear something out if facts or information bear out a claim or opinion, they suggest that something is likely to be true : Most of the available evidence bears out the view that students learn better in small classes. | Marriage is not always easy; a fact that is clearly borne out in divorce statistics.

corroborate formal to provide additional information which supports or agrees with something – used in scientific and legal contexts : Levine claims that a third car was involved in the accident and witnesses have corroborated this. | Professor Carling’s findings have been corroborated by more recent research.

substantiate formal to provide additional information that helps to prove that a statement is correct, especially if the statement is difficult to believe : A police investigation failed to substantiate the claim that he had been sexually abused.

validate formal to prove that information or results are correct by using scientific tests or very careful checking – used in scientific or technical contexts : All the information used in this report has been validated by an independent panel of experts.