sub ‧ stan ‧ ti ‧ ate /səbˈstænʃieɪt/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ substance , ↑ substantiation , ↑ substantive ; adjective : ↑ substantial ≠ ↑ insubstantial , ↑ substantive ; verb : ↑ substantiate ; adverb : ↑ substantially ]
formal to prove the truth of something that someone has said, claimed etc:
Katzen offered little evidence to substantiate his claims.
—substantiation /səbˌstænʃiˈeɪʃ ə n/ noun [uncountable]
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.