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

Initiatives are more likely to succeed when there’s proof of concept. —Felida Villarreal, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

The short instead proved to be a proof of concept, but El Masri shed that as well. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2024

My proof of concept for Nickel Boys was Hale County. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024

After the discovery of the ancient log in Quebec, the team continued their proof of concept in the hopes of pinpointing the best approach for wood vaulting moving forward. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above