corroborate

1 of 2

verb

cor·​rob·​o·​rate kə-ˈrä-bə-ˌrāt 

corroborated; corroborating

transitive verb

: to support or help prove with evidence or authority : make more certain

Did the witnesses corroborate the story?

The documents … corroborate this sequence of events.

—Jennifer Bjorhus

corroboration

kə-ˌrä-bə-ˈrā-shən 

noun

corroborative

kə-ˈrä-bə-ˌrā-tiv 

-ˈrä-b(ə-)rə-

adjective

corroborator

kə-ˈrä-bə-ˌrā-tər 

noun

corroboratory

kə-ˈrä-b(ə-)rə-ˌtȯr-ē 

adjective

corroboration

2 of 2

noun

cor·​rob·​o·​ra·​tion kə-ˌrä-bə-ˈrā-shən 

plural -s

1

: the act of corroborating : a strengthening or confirming

sought corroboration for his views

2

: something that corroborates

Synonyms of corroborate

Verb

• confirm
• verify
• argue

Choose the Right Synonym for corroborate

confirm, corroborate, substantiate, verify, authenticate, validate mean to attest to the truth or validity of something.

confirm implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact.

confirmed the reports

corroborate suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established.

witnesses corroborated his story

substantiate implies the offering of evidence that sustains the contention.

the claims have yet to be substantiated

verify implies the establishing of correspondence of actual facts or details with those proposed or guessed at.

all statements of fact in the article have been verified

authenticate implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion.

handwriting experts authenticated the diaries

validate implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof.

validated the hypothesis by experiments

Examples of corroborate in a Sentence

Verb

Studies that are wrong will be superseded by better studies with different results. Studies that are right will be corroborated by other good studies. —Harriet Hall, Skeptic, 2007

Evidence like this is rarely conclusive, but it can help police corroborate testimony … —David Fisher, Hard Evidence, 1995

… the great Dr. Woodruff … corroborated my doctor's belief that my two infections had been resolved … —James Thurber 7 Mar. 1946, in Selected Letters Of James Thurber,  (1980) 1981

the witnesses corroborated the policeman's testimony

my personal experience does not corroborate your faith in the essential goodness of people

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In one incident, a cooperating witness testifying in a shooting was allegedly ambushed by gang members and made to choose between overdosing on fentanyl and being shot, an incident corroborated by witnesses including a nine-year-old girl. —Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 9 June 2026

Investigators also corroborated his statements, Clark told USA TODAY on June 3. —Saleen Martin, USA Today, 5 June 2026

The man’s cellmate corroborated the statement. —Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 2 June 2026

Witnesses at the flag football game corroborated the assault, police said. —Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 1 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin corroboratus, past participle of corroborare, from com- + robor-, robur strength

Noun

Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French corroboration, from Late Latin corroboration-, corroboratio, from Latin corroboratus + -ion-, -io -ion

First Known Use

Verb

1529, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for corroborate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

corroborate

verb

cor·​rob·​o·​rate kə-ˈräb-ə-ˌrāt 

corroborated; corroborating

: to support with evidence or authority

corroborated my brother's story

corroboration

-ˌräb-ə-ˈrā-shən 

noun

corroborative

-ˈräb-ə-ˌrāt-iv 

-ˈräb-(ə-)rət-iv

adjective

corroborator

-ˈräb-ə-ˌrāt-ər 

noun

corroboratory

-ˈräb-(ə-)-rə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

adjective

Legal Definition

corroborate

transitive verb

cor·​rob·​o·​rate kə-ˈrä-bə-ˌrāt 

corroborated; corroborating

: to support with evidence or authority : strengthen or make more certain

corroboration

kə-ˌrä-bə-ˈrā-shən 

noun

corroborative

kə-ˈrä-bə-ˌrā-tiv, -rə-tiv 

adjective

Etymology

Transitive verb

Latin corroboratus, past participle of corroborare to strengthen, from com-, prefix marking completion + robur strength, literally, oak tree