validate

validate

 
verb|VAL-uh-dayt
 
What It Means
 
To validate something is to show that it is real or correct. Validate can also mean “to state or show that something is legal or official,” “to put a mark on something to show that it has been checked and is official or accepted,” and “to show that someone’s feelings, opinions, etc., are fair and reasonable.”
 
// The company’s claims about its latest product are yet to be validated.
 
// You can get discounted parking by having your parking garage ticket validated at the museum's ticket desk.
 
// The decline in sales only validated our concerns about the menu changes.

validate
verb
val·;i·;date ;va-l;-;d;t
validated; validating
Synonyms of validate
transitive verb

1
a
: to make legally valid : ratify
b
: to grant official sanction to by marking
validated her passport
c
: to confirm the validity of (an election)
also : to declare (a person) elected
2
a
: to support or corroborate on a sound or authoritative basis
experiments designed to validate the hypothesis
b
: to recognize, establish, or illustrate the worthiness or legitimacy of
validate his concerns
validator
;va-l;-;d;-t;r
 noun


Did you know?
When validate first entered the language in the mid-17th century, its meaning was tied fast to its close relative, the adjective valid, meaning “executed with the proper legal authority and formalities”: to validate something, such as a marriage or treaty, was to make it legally valid. This meaning is still current, but the word is now used in nonlegal and informal contexts as well. If the museum you visit validates your parking garage ticket, you're given an official mark on the ticket and you do not have to pay full price for parking. If someone’s claims cannot be validated, those claims cannot be confirmed. And if a coach puts an untested player into the game and the player scores the winning point, the player’s strong performance validates the coach’s decision.

Synonyms
verify
confirm
Choose the Right Synonym for validate

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 validate in a Sentence
The court validated the contract.
A judge still needs to validate the election.
Customs officers validated our passports.
The decline in sales only validated our concerns.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
If anything, impending fatherhood had validated my choice to stop.
—Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2025
The folks over at Pantone have also validated skin-tone accuracy for onscreen realism.
—New Atlas, 13 Aug. 2025
Climate research shows that better predictions are possible by using computer models in new ways and rigorously validating their performance against evidence from past climate shifts.
—Pedro Dinezio, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2025
Tell them the most private, vulnerable details of your life, and most of them will validate you and may even provide advice.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2025

Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Medieval Latin valid;tus, past participle of valid;re "to make valid," derivative of Latin validus "in good health, having legal authority" — more at valid

First Known Use
1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of validate was in 1648
See more words from the same year
Browse Nearby Words
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MLA
“Validate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/validate. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

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Kids Definition
validate

verb
val·;i·;date ;val-;-;d;t
validated; validating
: to make valid
validation
;val-;-;d;-sh;n
 noun

Legal Definition
validate

transitive verb
val·;i·;date ;va-l;-;d;t
validated; validating
1
a
: to make valid
b
: to grant official sanction to by marking
2
: to confirm the validity of (an election)
validation
;va-l;-;d;-sh;n
 noun
More from Merriam-Webster on validate
Nglish: Translation of validate for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: 21 Aug 2025 - Updated Did you know?