circumstantial evidence

noun

: evidence that tends to prove a fact by proving other events or circumstances which afford a basis for a reasonable inference of the occurrence of the fact at issue

Examples of circumstantial evidence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Despite a body not being found, a magistrate previously ruled that there was enough circumstantial evidence for Waden to stand trial, the NewsWire copy stated. Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 9 Dec. 2025 The department claimed that circumstantial evidence, including her cell phone found under Leeds' car, proved that Townsend committed the crime. Hunter Sowards, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025 The way this case was presented and the failure by the State to actually connect the dots, even through clear inference from circumstantial evidence, that Mr. Yusuf knowingly assisted in the fraud is more than concerning. Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025 Based on circumstantial evidence such as observed speed, experts theorize 3I/ATLAS possibly originated from a distant solar system much older than our own. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for circumstantial evidence

Word History

First Known Use

1679, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of circumstantial evidence was in 1679

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Cite this Entry

“Circumstantial evidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circumstantial%20evidence. Accessed 22 Dec. 2025.

Legal Definition

circumstantial evidence

see evidence

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