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

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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
  • 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
Definition of confirm
Verb
  • The current American administration, though, is the first to reinforce those ambitions, rather than curtail them.
    — Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 24 July 2025
  • 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
Definition of reinforce
Verb
  • His accusation couldn’t be verified in public records.
    — The Marshall Project, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 July 2025
  • Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement emphasizing the importance of verifying contact information, including phone numbers and websites, before making any donations, warning that scam artists are using sophisticated methods to manipulate caller ID and other identifying details.
    — Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 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
  • One expert told Newsweek that Project 2025 had called for USCIS to bolster its fraud detection unit, with this latest report a sign of that effort.
    — Billal Rahman Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 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
  • The English actor, 33, has reportedly signed on to be a regular in a new HBO project, also helmed by Ted Lasso EP Bill Lawrence, which will prove to be a scheduling conflict.
    — Julia Moore, People.com, 22 July 2025
  • This is what has proven to be the most strategic approach in my own life.
    — Stephanie Dillon, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
Definition of prove

Browse Nearby Words

corrivals
corroborate
corroborated
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Cite this Entry

“Corroborate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corroborate. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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