Tra từ prove - Từ điển LongMan Dictionary

prove S2 W1 /pruːv/ verb (past tense proved, past participle proved or proven /ˈpruːvən/ especially American English)
[Word Family: verb: prove ≠ disprove; noun: proof; adjective: proven ≠ unproven]
[date : 1100-1200; Language : Old French; Origin : prover, from Latin probare; ⇨ probe²]
1. SHOW SOMETHING IS TRUE [TRANSITIVE]to show that something is true by providing facts, information etc ⇨ proof:
　 ▪ You’re wrong, and I can prove it.
prove (that)
　 ▪ Tests have proved that the system works.
prove something to somebody
　 ▪ I knew he had done it, but there was no way I could prove it to Eddie.
prove sb’s guilt/innocence
　 ▪ He claims the police destroyed records that could prove the officer’s guilt.
prove somebody wrong/innocent etc
　 ▪ They say I’m too old, but I’m going to prove them all wrong.
　 ▪ To prove his point (=show that he was right), he mentioned several other experiments which had produced similar results.
► You prove something to someone: I will prove to you (NOT prove you) that I’m right.

2. BE [LINKING VERB]if someone or something proves difficult, helpful, a problem etc, they are difficult, helpful, a problem etc:
　 ▪ The recent revelations may prove embarrassing to the President.
prove to be something
　 ▪ The design proved to be a success.

3. prove yourself/prove something (to somebody)
to show how good you are at doing something:
　 ▪ When I first started this job, I felt I had to prove myself.

4. prove yourself (to be) something
to show other people that you are a particular type of person:
　 ▪ She’s proved herself to be a very reliable worker.

5. what is somebody trying to prove?
spoken said when you are annoyed by someone’s actions and do not understand them

6. prove a point
if someone does something to prove a point, they do it to show that they are right or that they can do something:
　 ▪ I’m not going to run the marathon just to prove a point.

7. BREAD [INTRANSITIVE]if dough (=unbaked bread mixture) proves, it rises and becomes light because of the yeast in it

8. LAW [TRANSITIVE] law to show that a will has been made in the correct way

—provable adjective
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
nouns
▪prove somebody's guilt/innocence
　 ▪ There was no way she could prove her innocence.
▪prove the existence of something
　 ▪ These pictures do not prove the existence of water on Mars.
▪prove a theory
　 ▪ No evidence emerged to prove either theory.
▪prove your case
　 ▪ The state had failed to prove its case.
▪prove your point
　 ▪ To prove her point, Dr Hurdal showed her audience a scan of a patient's brain.
phrases
▪prove somebody wrong/right
　 ▪ See if you can prove me wrong.
▪prove somebody guilty/innocent
　 ▪ The law states that you are innocent until proved guilty.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪confirm if a piece of new information confirms an idea or belief that people already have, it shows that it is definitely true :
　 ▪ Police have found new evidence that confirms his story.
　 ▪ The discovery seems to confirm that people lived here over 10,000 years ago.
▪prove to show that something is definitely true by providing facts :
　 ▪ DNA tests proved that he was the father of the child.
　 ▪ I think we’ve proved that we are a good team.
▪back up to provide additional information to help prove that a statement, belief, or explanation is correct :
　 ▪ When you write a history essay, you should back up all your points with facts.
　 ▪ Wright was accused of pretending to be injured, and this was backed up by video evidence.
▪support to help to prove that a belief, idea etc is probably true :
　 ▪ Do you have any evidence to support these claims?
　 ▪ The notion that women are worse drivers than men is simply not supported by the facts.
▪bear something out if facts or information bear out a claim or opinion, they suggest that something is likely to be true :
　 ▪ Most of the available evidence bears out the view that students learn better in small classes.
　 ▪ Marriage is not always easy; a fact that is clearly borne out in divorce statistics.
▪corroborate formal to provide additional information which supports or agrees with something – used in scientific and legal contexts :
　 ▪ Levine claims that a third car was involved in the accident and witnesses have corroborated this.
　 ▪ Professor Carling’s findings have been corroborated by more recent research.
▪substantiate formal to provide additional information that helps to prove that a statement is correct, especially if the statement is difficult to believe :
　 ▪ A police investigation failed to substantiate the claim that he had been sexually abused.
▪validate formal to prove that information or results are correct by using scientific tests or very careful checking – used in scientific or technical contexts :
　 ▪ All the information used in this report has been validated by an independent panel of experts.

verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
an experiment shows/proves/demonstrates sth
▪ His experiment showed that lightning was a kind of electricity.
▪ The experiment proved that fabrics treated with the chemical are much less likely to catch fire.
be proved right
▪ We warned that it would not work, and we have been proved right.
be proved wrong (=be shown to be wrong)
▪ People do not like to be proved wrong.
be/become/prove an attraction
▪ The organisers hope the event will become an annual attraction.
prove a theory
▪ No evidence emerged to prove either theory.
prove a willlaw (= to show that a will has been made in the correct way)
▪ If the estate is small, you may not need to prove the will.
prove an embarrassment (=be an embarrassment)
▪ The publication of the documents proved a severe embarrassment to the company.
prove an obstacle (=be an obstacle)
▪ The weather proved an obstacle, with nonstop rains flooding the field.
prove correct (=be shown to be true)
▪ Fortunately, my memory proved correct.
prove costly
▪ His delay in making a decision could prove costly in the long run.
prove crucial (=be crucial)
▪ His appointment was to prove crucial to the organization’s success.
prove expensive
▪ Their decision could prove expensive.
prove impossible (=be impossible because you have tried but not succeeded)
▪ It proved impossible for the two sides to reach an agreement.
prove irresistible
▪ Tax-cutting proposals could prove irresistible to lawmakers.
prove (to be) unfounded
▪ Sadly, my optimism proved unfounded.
prove unsuccessful
▪ The search for a planet like the Earth has so far proved unsuccessful.
prove usefulformal (= be useful)
▪ This equipment could prove useful in testing babies’ hearing.
prove useless
▪ Police checkpoints proved useless at stopping the suicide bombers.
prove valuable (=be valuable for someone)
▪ This advice was to prove valuable.
prove your/a point (=prove that what you say is right)
▪ He was determined to prove his point.
prove/confirm/establish the existence of sth (=prove that something exists)
▪ The images confirm the existence of water on the planet's surface.
proved disastrous (=was disastrous)
▪ The move proved disastrous for the company.
proved fatal
▪ Disunity finally proved fatal to the rebels’ cause.
proved groundless
▪ Fortunately my suspicions proved groundless.
proved inadequate
▪ The new air conditioning system proved inadequate.
proved prophetic
▪ Lundgren’s warnings proved prophetic.
prove...innocence
▪ Can you prove your innocence?
prove...manhood
▪ Why did he feel he had to prove his manhood in the company of women?
prove...masculinity
▪ boys trying to prove their masculinity
proven ability (=that you have proved through your achievements)
▪ Companies often value the proven ability and reliability of older employees.
proven track record
▪ We’re looking for someone with a proven track record in selling advertising.
prove/support an accusation
▪ There were very few facts to support the accusation against him.
prove/test/support etc a hypothesis
▪ We hope that further research will confirm our hypothesis.
proving ground
▪ High-crime areas are proving grounds for new police officers.
show/prove your loyalty (=do something that shows you are loyal to someone)
▪ He showed great loyalty to his wife during her long illness.
test/show/prove your mettle
▪ a crisis which will test the minister’s mettle
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
ADVERB
already
▪ While only recently introduced, the service is already proving very successful.
▪ Townsend boys got into City almost automatically; they had already proved their mettle.
▪ Conclusion Mrs Thatcher has already proved herself a remarkable figure.
▪ But the first visit has already proved helpful.
▪ He flights the ball well and is already proving to be a master in disguising the googly.
▪ Malarone has already proved highly effective in other trials.
▪ What follows is offered as a tentative approach, but one that has already proved useful to teachers. 1 Fictional narrative.
▪ George Cunningham, who have already proved themselves totally incapable of any future viability by already losing by an embarrassing margin.
right
▪ At his trial Jaggers was proved right.
▪ Unfortunately, as time passes she has been proved right.
▪ In 1996 they will be proved right.
▪ Ironically, the observations of Captain FitzRoy, the orthodox Creationist, had been proved right.
▪ Just because her astrological theories were being proved right.
▪ One day, if only by the laws of probability, the rumours will be proved right.
▪ When Delia Sutherland did at last ring it was three weeks after their meeting and he was proved right.
too
▪ However, a bus service offers an alternative if the going proves too taxing.
▪ His briefcase proved too small to hold all the notes.
▪ But the weighty haul may have proved too much for the raiders.
▪ Within a year or two, the persona of the disaffected hipster would prove too cynical, too alienated to last.
▪ Getting rid of me had proved too much for him and he was now trying to force through a muddled compromise.
▪ The price of making the marriage work proved too high for me.
▪ Perhaps those problems will ultimately prove too great.
▪ But managing franchisers proved too onerous for the founders, so they began looking for a buyer.
very
▪ Relocating an employee can prove very costly.
▪ Finding the skilled opponents, however, proved very difficult.
▪ While only recently introduced, the service is already proving very successful.
▪ Some materials that have proved very difficult to crystallize on Earth can be coaxed to do so in space.
▪ The method has nevertheless proved very useful.
▪ This would soon prove very valuable.
▪ Although the infection cleared up, he was left with a mild diarrhoea that proved very persistent.
▪ Open access with a larger number of smaller commercial companies would prove very beneficial to customers in ways not possible today.
NOUN
case
▪ However, this has not necessarily proved to be the case when the time has come to commit the words to celluloid.
▪ That did not prove to be the case.
▪ It is easier to prove your case when you have prepared it along the way.
▪ The prosecution can not prove the case beyond reasonable doubt against either one of them.
▪ Still, he posed several questions that he said proved the plaintiffs' case was utter nonsense.
▪ Make the government prove its case against him if it can.
chance
▪ Alfonso Portillo, who was elected by the people, has to be given a chance to prove himself.
▪ He deserves a chance to prove that he is ready to win on the major-league level.
▪ They hope he gets the chance to prove on Saturday, that he's value for money.
▪ And now, healthier than he has been in nearly three years, he wants a chance to prove it.
▪ Men like you never give women like me a chance to prove we're real, she thought.
evidence
▪ Unfortunately, molecular evidence, which has proved itself useful in other areas of disagreement, has yet to prove itself here.
▪ Geological evidence proves beyond doubt that it is three million years old.
▪ But it need not be that way and there is evidence to prove it.
▪ More geological evidence found later proved the theory correct.
▪ Love is the evidence you need which proves the benign nature of the universe.
▪ No evidence emerged to prove either theory.
▪ Would Stan Gooch please produce some evidence to prove his figures?
▪ I have no evidence to prove who was in the office.
exception
▪ But he was the exception that proved the rule.
▪ The two exceptions prove the rule.
▪ This is the exception to prove the rule.
▪ But such successes were rare: they are the exceptions that prove the rule.
▪ But, this exception proving the rule, notice that the diamond in question was an enormously valuable unique jewel.
▪ That way they could be exceptions that prove the rule rather than embarrass it.
innocence
▪ You have proved your innocence, and you are not on trial to prove that again.
▪ Suspected of murdering his wife, Krane got off on a technicality and is now obsessed with proving his innocence.
▪ Billy the Badger had much more difficulty in proving his innocence, although he admitted to stealing chickens.
▪ He even performed a miracle to prove his innocence.
▪ Nothing she had said or done had altered his rigid beliefs, and she couldn't prove her innocence without betraying Lori.
▪ Kelly proved his innocence by showing police that his fingerprints do not match those of the shoplifter.
▪ Would the contents of the faded envelope finally prove his father's innocence?
▪ This only adds to the dynamism between them as he tries to prove Von Bulow's innocence.
point
▪ It proved a turning point in the war leading to Lincoln emancipation proclamation liberating the slaves.
▪ If this is the case, you should be prepared to prove your point and present a cost-effective alternative.
▪ He does not try to prove points one way or the other, but he does ask meaningful and relevant questions.
▪ The many examples of that provided in these pages help to prove the point.
▪ He needed some nice girl of Anthony's age to prove his point.
▪ The port is conducting studies in hopes of proving the point.
▪ This will prove an important point to bear in mind in the discussions of Chapter 6.
rule
▪ But he was the exception that proved the rule.
▪ The two exceptions prove the rule.
▪ Or could you prove the rules of logic without using the rules to do so?
▪ But such successes were rare: they are the exceptions that prove the rule.
▪ This is the exception to prove the rule.
▪ So much for the exceptions; now to prove the rule.
▪ Mikhail Gorbachev's Soviet Union had once seemed the enlightened exception, but now only proves the bloody rule.
▪ That way they could be exceptions that prove the rule rather than embarrass it.
success
▪ The scheme, which also includes £60 per goal, was only introduced this season and it certainly has proved a success.
▪ At $ 3. 99, a weekday all-you-can-eat lunch buffet proved a resounding success.
▪ In the course of a long lifetime, his bold concept was proved an amazing success.
▪ Their experimental ironclad had proved a great success.
▪ It is proving an amazing success.
▪ There was no doubt that Harry's twenty-first celebration was proving a phenomenal success.
▪ By 1880 there were about a thousand hotels in the scheme which proved a resounding success.
▪ All of which explains why the Domaine has proved such a success.
worth
▪ Employees must forge their own career paths, seek out promotions and prove their worth every single day.
▪ The onus is now on Untaet and the World Bank to prove their worth.
▪ Surface only scratched and the guide has proved its worth already.
▪ Members of the Diet prove their worth by attending constituents' weddings and sitting through endless meetings with colleagues.
▪ But already it's proved its worth.
▪ There would be other gardens, other chances to prove her worth.
VERB
try
▪ I feel it and I've tried to prove it.
▪ They used the devices of anthropology, sociology, history, and biology trying to prove that Negroes were inferior.
▪ What was he trying to prove, she asked acidly, his ability to survive?
▪ Every self is an argument trying to prove its identity.
▪ He always tried to prove that there was no computer challenge that he could not resolve.
▪ We were all playing roles in a comedy. l tried to prove to Sonya that withholding herself from me was hypocritical.
▪ The scientist should try to prove the hypothesis wrong.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
breeding/fertile/proving ground
▪ His inspiration fell on fertile ground, prepared by endless repetition.
▪ On their arrival at the breeding grounds, male pied flycatchers find a suitable nesting site.
▪ The position required no athletic ability, but traditionally has served as a proving ground for Mississippi politicians.
▪ The race, the breeding ground, might be missed, both in sporting and traditional terms, should it cease.
▪ The unhygienic conditions of a stable were a breeding ground for all manner of disease and bacteria hazardous to a newborn.
▪ There are 22 events per year, and tracks range from Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground tote Mans.
▪ Where scum settles on wetted surfaces in kitchens, it creates an ideal breeding ground for bacteria.
go to show/prove/indicate etc sth
▪ But Rat, I am going to show you the World.
▪ It goes to show you the gap between reality and virtual reality in military thinking.
▪ It just goes to show you.
▪ James Prior said unemployment levels were intolerable and Norman Tebbit said that he was going to prove that the problem was soluble.
▪ Leese was going to show me another trick.
▪ Which goes to show that the smart guys were right about something.
▪ Which all goes to show what can actually be achieved when an analogue master tape is lovingly transferred to compact disc.
▪ Which just goes to prove, you do have to be a somebody to get ahead in this town!
sb/sth is the exception that proves the rule
▪ Most people our age have finished school, and Mike is the exception that proves the rule.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Can you prove that you were at home at the time of the attack?
▪ Don't trust anyone who turns up at your door, unless they can prove who they are.
▪ He claims the police destroyed records that could prove the officer's guilt.
▪ He wanted to prove that he was just as clever as his sister.
▪ His guilt has never been conclusively proven.
▪ I'm telling the truth, and I can prove it to you.
▪ I would love to prove him wrong.
▪ To prove her point, Garth cites a book by John Quincy Adams.
▪ Until there is evidence to prove any of these claims, we cannot pass judgement.
▪ We're sure Jason took the money, but we can't prove it.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ And that may in the end prove inadequate for any unforeseeable expenses.
▪ Employees must forge their own career paths, seek out promotions and prove their worth every single day.
▪ I can only hope I am proved wrong: things have gone too far to turn back the tide.
▪ Meadows' career in acting would prove relatively short, however.
▪ The managers soon recognized they had to prove that they deserved their subordinates' respect and trust.
▪ They both felt that all the preparation had proved worthwhile.