What does "proof" mean?
An effort, process, or operation designed to establish or discover a fact or truth; an act of testing; a test; a trial.
Proof
/pɹuf/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An effort, process, or operation designed to establish or discover a fact or truth; an act of testing; a test; a trial.
- Grammar: proof is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: absolute indication, account, acid test, acquaintance.
- Useful contrasts: future speculation, non-evidence, reasoned guess.
- Usage evidence: People are often quite skeptical about things unless given believable proof.
How to use "proof"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "proof" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "proof" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "proof" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "proof" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "proof" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "proof", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An effort, process, or operation designed to establish or discover a fact or truth; an act of testing; a test; a trial. countable
"I need proof of your unconditional love. Lend me some dough."
- 2 the act of validating; finding or testing the truth of something wordnet
- 3 The degree of evidence which convinces the mind of any truth or fact, and produces belief; a test by facts or arguments which induce, or tend to induce, certainty of the judgment; conclusive evidence; demonstration. uncountable
"I'll have some proof."
- 4 a trial photographic print from a negative wordnet
- 5 The quality or state of having been proved or tried; firmness or hardness which resists impression, or does not yield to force; impenetrability of physical bodies. countable, uncountable
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something wordnet
- 7 Experience of something. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"But the chaste damzell, that had never priefe / Of such malengine and fine forgerye, / Did easely beleeve her strong extremitye."
- 8 (printing) an impression made to check for errors wordnet
- 9 Firmness of mind; stability not to be shaken. obsolete, uncountable
- 10 a formal series of statements showing that if one thing is true something else necessarily follows from it wordnet
- 11 A proof sheet; a trial impression, as from type, taken for correction or examination. countable
"And these men scour the printed proof for error, blunder, and misspelling."
- 12 a measure of alcoholic strength expressed as an integer twice the percentage of alcohol present (by volume) wordnet
- 13 A limited-run high-quality strike of a particular coin, originally as a test run, although nowadays mostly for collectors' sets. countable, uncountable
- 14 A sequence of statements consisting of axioms, assumptions, statements already demonstrated in another proof, and statements that logically follow from previous statements in the sequence, and which concludes with a statement that is the object of the proof. countable
- 15 A process for testing the accuracy of an operation performed. Compare prove, transitive verb, 5. countable
- 16 Armour of excellent or tried quality, and deemed impenetrable; properly, armour of proof. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapped in proof"
- 17 A measure of the alcohol content of liquor. Originally, in Britain, 100 proof was defined as 57.1% by volume (no longer used). In the US, 100 proof means that the alcohol content is 50% of the total volume of the liquid; thus, perfectly pure absolute alcohol would be 200 proof. US, countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To proofread. colloquial, intransitive, transitive
- 2 make resistant (to harm) wordnet
- 3 To make resistant, especially to water. transitive
- 4 activate by mixing with water and sometimes sugar or milk wordnet
- 5 To test-fire with a load considerably more powerful than the firearm in question's rated maximum chamber pressure, in order to establish the firearm's ability to withstand pressures well in excess of those expected in service without bursting. transitive
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 read for errors wordnet
- 7 To allow (yeast-containing dough) to rise, especially after it has been shaped transitive
"dough proofing"
- 8 knead to reach proper lightness wordnet
- 9 To test the activeness of (yeast). transitive
"yeast proofing"
- 10 make or take a proof of, such as a photographic negative, an etching, or typeset wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Used in proving or testing.
"a proof load; a proof charge"
- 2 Firm or successful in resisting.
"proof against harm"
- 3 Being of a certain standard as to alcohol content.
"60% proof liquor"
Adjective
- 1 (used in combination or as a suffix) able to withstand wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 The 98th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"People are often quite skeptical about things unless given believable proof."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "proof"?
Common synonyms include: absolute indication, account, acid test, acquaintance, actual evidence, adjective of evidence.
How do you use "proof" in a sentence?
People are often quite skeptical about things unless given believable proof.
How do you pronounce "proof"?
Pronounced /pɹuf/.
Etymology
From Middle English proof, from Old French prove, from Late Latin proba (“a proof”), from Latin probō (“to prove”); see prove; compare also the doublet probe.