proof of concept

noun

plural proofs of concept

: something that demonstrates the feasibility of a concept (such as a product idea or a business plan)

Even if it succeeds, the $5.9 billion reactor will be just a proof of concept, with commercial fusion power still decades away.

—Corey S. Powell

Malware and virus-writing used to be something hobbyist hackers did for fun, as proofs of concept. Not anymore.

—Mat Honan

—often hyphenated when used before another noun

No invention is worth anything without the proof-of-concept prototype.

—Shintaro Osano

… proof-of-concept experiments funded with public money and years away from any commercial application, were sponsored by university biology departments.

—Andrew Curry

Examples of proof of concept in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The pilot model in general is more often employed in comedy as a proof of concept for tone, chemistry among the ensemble cast, comedic timing and other key ingredients of a successful series. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025

The couple would reunite romantically once more off-camera before calling it quits for good, but four years and five seasons later, Giannina remains one of the Love Is Blind’s most memorable personalities, serving almost as a proof of concept for the series itself. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2025

If providing drinking water to 10,000+ people proves too big of an initial goal, smaller pilot projects might offer a proof of concept. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 20 Feb. 2025

Everyone was buzzing about how the place was so phenomenal, but the week before, nobody wanted to go there, so that first night was just such a strong proof of concept. —Katie Bain, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above