confirm
Americanverb (used with object)
-
confirms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
confirmed,
past participle, past
-
confirming
present participle
-
to establish the truth, accuracy, validity, or genuineness of; corroborate; verify.
This report confirms my suspicions.
- Synonyms:
- validate, authenticate, substantiate, prove
- Antonyms:
- disprove
-
to acknowledge with definite assurance.
Did the hotel confirm our room reservation?
-
to make valid or binding by some formal or legal act; sanction; ratify.
to confirm a treaty;
to confirm her appointment to the Supreme Court.
- Antonyms:
- invalidate
-
to make firm or more firm; add strength to; settle or establish firmly.
Their support confirmed my determination to run for mayor.
- Synonyms:
- fix
- Antonyms:
- shake
-
to strengthen (a person) in habit, resolution, opinion, etc..
The accident confirmed him in his fear of driving.
-
to administer the religious rite of confirmation to.
verb
-
(may take a clause as object) to prove to be true or valid; corroborate; verify
-
(may take a clause as object) to assert for a second or further time, so as to make more definite
he confirmed that he would appear in court
-
to strengthen or make more firm
his story confirmed my doubts
-
to make valid by a formal act or agreement; ratify
-
to administer the rite of confirmation to
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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confirmabilitynoun
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confirmernoun
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unconfirmabilitynoun
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preconfirmverb (used with object)
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reconfirmverb (used with object)
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unconfirmverb (used with object)
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confirmableadjective
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confirmatoryadjective
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nonconfirmingadjective
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confirminglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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confirmsimple
-
confirmssimple
-
have confirmedperfect
-
has confirmedperfect
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am confirmingprogressive
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are confirmingprogressive
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is confirmingprogressive
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have been confirmingperfect progressive
-
has been confirmingperfect progressive
Past
-
confirmedsimple
-
had confirmedperfect
-
was confirmingprogressive
-
were confirmingprogressive
-
had been confirmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of confirm
First recorded in 1250–1300; from Latin confirmāre “to strengthen, confirm” ( see con-, firm 1); replacing Middle English confermen, from Old French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
When you need to make sure before you leave that you have a reservation, you often call ahead to confirm, that is, to make sure that your tickets or space are set aside for you. The firm in confirm should give you a clue as to the word's meaning: to shore up or verify something. When you make sure something is set, or firm, you confirm it. The word comes from the Latin con- "together, altogether," and firmāre "make firm," so confirm originally meant roughly "to make (something) altogether firm."
Vocabulary lists containing confirm
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
SYDNEY—Australia’s inflation outlook is “materially worse” and coming third quarter inflation data are likely to confirm that view, Andrew Hauser, deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia said Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
On Tuesday, the conservative outlet National Review reported that “court records confirm many key parts of Acton’s account of her life,” including the charges against her stepfather.
From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026
Craig Abele, Graham’s national security adviser, called her a few days later to confirm that Graham’s office had intended the money to be awarded to the Navatek partnership, emails show.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
If future studies confirm these differences, the findings could help move fatty liver disease care toward more precise screening, earlier intervention, and treatments tailored to each patient's underlying biology.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
I look for something incongruous in the scene to confirm my analysis, and I find it.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Extensive research confirms the axiom that a sense of civic duty is the strongest predictor of whether someone will vote.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
In a statement, Kenya's Ministry of Health "confirms four new cases of Ebola", bringing the total to seven overall, including the deceased first case.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
A source close to the listing confirms to Realtor.com that the relisting price increase is “reflective of the current market.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
"This observation confirms that the instrument can produce a focused image," said Vanessa Bailey, a Roman Coronagraph Instrument scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
The ten o’clock nightly news confirms my quiet worry.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
A possible fourth person in distress was confirmed safe after a brief search, fire crews said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Fortescue confirmed it shipped 46.8 million metric tons of iron ore in its fiscal first quarter, but sold only 42.9 million tons over the same period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
The researchers confirmed that the compound's ability to reduce inflammation, slow abnormal cell proliferation, and encourage apoptosis depended on its influence over ACOT1, the arachidonic acid pathway, and the downstream JAK-STAT/PI3K-AKT signaling pathways.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
Channel Nine, which broadcasts Married at First Sight Australia, confirmed that it was "aware of a police investigation" involving the show's production company.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Accurate down to the centimeter, the new instrument confirmed what the other measurements had said: day and night, the bulge steadily grew.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Now, after more than two decades of scientific disagreement, researchers have uncovered compelling evidence confirming the ancient collision.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
While not naming the former DUP leader, the Met has issued a statement confirming a 63-year-old man is being investigated.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Sales of smartglasses, powered by artificial intelligence and produced in partnership with tech giant Meta, jumped 20% in the third quarter, confirming the strong momentum of the category.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
The Hokkaido Shimbun said in a statement that it was aware of the announcement by Russian authorities but was "still confirming the details".
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
The first resolution was designed to appease the Deep South by confirming that the Constitution prohibited any federal legislation limiting or ending the slave trade until 1808.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
