Showing & Proving 
Showing & Proving 
1. To show that something is true

show	verb  [transitive]  to  provide the facts and  information which make it clear that
something is true:
 A recent survey by Sheffield  University	showed that  95% of  patients were satisfied
with the service that they received.
 They wanted to show to people how well the system worked.

prove verb [transitive] to show that something is definitely true by providing facts and 
information, especially when other people have doubted this:
 These documents prove that the three men were innocent.
 Lind proved that eating fresh oranges and limes could prevent sailors from getting the 
disease. 
 He was able to prove his theory to his fellow scientists.

demonstrate verb  [transitive] to do  something or provide information that makes it
very clear to people that something is true:
 The aim of the experiments was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the treatment.
 It has  been	demonstrated that  even low  levels of lead can damage the central 
nervous system.

STUDY NOTE: Grammar 
Prove and demonstrate sound much more definite than show.

something can be seen used when something shows that what you are saying is 
true:
 This can be seen in the following examples. 
 As can be seen in Table 1, wages have risen at a lower rate than the rate of inflation.
 Shaker furniture is extremely well made. Evidence of this can be seen in the surprising
number of items that have survived to the present day.

be evidence of  used  when information shows that something is true or  that 
something exists:
 Some people think that this research is evidence of a much larger problem.

 In the past, comet and meteorite strikes were much more common in the solar system.
The pitted surface of the moon is evidence of that.

be symptomatic of to show that a problem or a bad situation exists:

 The  protests	were symptomatic of  a widespread feeling  of  dissatisfaction wth the
government's policies. 

reveal verb [transitive] to show that something is true, especially something surprising
that many people did not realize:
 A recent  survey	revealed that  61% of  those interviewed  believe that tobacco 
advertising should be banned.
 The inquiry revealed how  hundreds of children in public care  were mistreated in  the
1980s.

confirm verb [transitive] if something confirms an idea or opinion that people already 
have, it shows that it is true:
 The latest  research	confirms  the view  that  global warming  is happening at  an
increasing rate.
 Several surveys have confirmed that the blood pressure in diabetics is higher than in 
non-diabetics (Ostrander et al, 1965; Kannel & McGee, 1979).

support/back up verb [transitive] phrasal verb to show that an idea, opinion, or claim 
is true:
 Our research supports this view.
 They produced no evidence to back up their claims.
 Recent archeological discoveries seem to support the idea that there was a settlement 
here in Roman times. 

corroborate verb [transitive] a formal word meaning to provide additional information
that shows that what someone else  has said is true. You  use  corroborate  especially
about findings or results:
 Further research is needed  to  corroborate  the	results  of  this study  before the 
treatment is made available to the general public. 
 Her evidence was corroborated by two other witnesses. 

validate	verb  [transitive]  a  formal word meaning to prove that  something is correct 
using scientific tests or very careful checking. You use validate especially about claims, 
theories, or data:
 Our	data  is collected and	validated  by a team of  120 researchers, using multiple 
sources to ensure reliability.

 We know that some  scientists have altered the  findings of  their  research in order to
validate their claims.
 Before a theory can be validated, it needs to pass a further test, which we might call
the review test.

substantiate verb [transitive] a formal word meaning to provide additional information
that helps prove that a statement  is correct. You  use	substantiate  especially about
allegations and claims:
 The  investigation  substantiated	allegations  made by former employees of  the 
company. 
 The evidence  normally used  to	substantiate  this	claim  is drawn  from the work  of
Brennan and McGeevor (1985).



2. To show that something is likely

suggest verb [transitive] to show that something is probably true, even though there is
no definite proof:
 This	suggests  that  humans existed on earth thousands of  years earlier than was 
previously thought. 
 Recent research strongly suggests that high protein diets are actually bad for you. 

indicate verb  [transitive] if  scientific facts, tests, figures etc	indicate  something, they 
show that it is probably true:
 Figures for 2002 indicate that more and more people are choosing not to get married. 
 Investigations by government scientists have  indicated	that  pesticides could be  the
cause of the condition, which results in children being born blind. 

imply verb [transitive] if a piece of information implies that something is true, it shows
that it is likely to be true, often in an indirect way: 
 The maths and science reports imply that together these two subjects should occupy
about one-third of the timetable. 
 This implies that  a vast  number of universes exist with our own, each having equal
reality.

there is some evidence that used when some evidence shows that something is
true:
	There is  some evidence that  foods rich  in  vitamin  A  and vitamin C may give
protection against cancer.

give the impression to make you think that a situation exists, even though this may 
not actually be true: 

 Textbooks often give the impression that history is about the activities of kings and
queens.
 The report gives the impression of having been rather hastily put together.

lead to the conclusion that to make you decide that something is likely to be true
after examining all the facts, arguments etc:
 All these arguments lead to the  conclusion that  there should be greater control on
gun ownership.



3. To show that something is untrue

disprove verb [transitive] to show that something is untrue:

 The results of the experiment seemed to disprove her theory.
 Some people think that drinking coffee helps burn off fat. Scientific studies have clearly 
disproved this idea.

contradict verb [transitive] if one statement, study, piece of evidence etc contradicts
another, it makes the other one seem completely untrue or impossible:
 A study conducted at Massachusetts  General Hospital	contradicts  the  results of  the
Canadian study.
 Recent evidence appears to contradict his hypothesis.

refute	verb  [transitive]  a  formal  word  meaning  to prove what  someone has said is
untrue:
 All attempts to refute Einstein's theory have failed. 
 Her research  refutes  the idea that population growth is desirable and will not cause 
ecological damage.

invalidate verb  [transitive]  a formal word meaning  to prove  that someone's ideas or
arguments contain mistakes, with the result that it is unlikely that they are true:
 Most people now believe that Marx's ideas have been invalidated by history.
 Problems with the way the original data was collected invalidated their findings.
 An international inspection would easily confirm or invalidate such reports.

demolish	verb  [transitive] to  prove  that something  is completely wrong. You  use
demolish especially about arguments:
 Chomsky  was  able to	demolish  many of Skinner's  arguments  about  how people 
acquire language.
 He demolished the widely held belief that the sun went around the Earth. 
