substantiate

sub·stan·ti·ate

Use substantiate in a sentence

verb

To substantiate is to prove a claim to be true or back up a claim with evidence.

When you do a research project to prove a scientific theory, this is an example of a situation where you substantiate the theory.

substantiate

transitive verb

-·at·ed, -·at·ing

to give substance or true existence to
to give concrete form or body to; convert into substance; embody
to show to be true or real by giving evidence; prove; confirm

Origin of substantiate

from Modern Latin substantiatus, past participle of substantiare from Classical Latin substantia, substance

substantiate

transitive verb

sub·stan·ti·at·ed, sub·stan·ti·at·ing, sub·stan·ti·ates

To prove the truth of or support with proof or evidence: substantiate an accusation. See Synonyms at confirm.
To give substance to; make real or actual.

Origin of substantiate

New Latin substantiāre substantiāt- from Latin substantia substance ; see substance .

Related Forms:

sub·stan′ti·a′tion
noun

substantiate

Verb

(third-person singular simple present substantiates, present participle substantiating, simple past and past participle substantiated)

to verify something by supplying evidence; to corroborate or authenticate
to give material form or substance to something; to embody

SentencesSentence examples

Sentence Examples

Now, in the excited state of popular feeling at that period, the failure of government to substantiate an accusation of treason would have been a serious matter.
For some time after the occupation of Rome the pope, in order to substantiate the pretence that his spiritual freedom had been diminished, avoided the creation of cardinals and the nomination of bishops.
The general charges, which they endeavoured to substantiate by forged letters, need not count for much, and in many cases they only exaggerated what, if true, was not so heinous as they suggested.
As late as 1784, Charles Varlo, an Englishman who had purchased one-third of the grant from the heirs of Sir Edmund Plowden, came to New Jersey and sought to substantiate his claim.
The king of Prussia had some reason to complain of the sudden desertion of his ally, but there is no evidence whatever to substantiate his accusation that Bute had endeavoured to divert the tsar later from his alliance with Prussia, or that he had treacherously in his negotiations with Vienna held out to that court hopes of territorial compensation in Silesia as the price of the abandonment of France; while the charge brought against Bute in 1765 of having taken bribes to conclude the peace, subsequently after investigation pronounced frivolous by parliament, may safely be ignored.

Also Mentioned In

Words near substantiate in the dictionary