confirm

The word “confirm” means to state or show that something is definitely true or accurate. In plain terms, to make certain that something is true, or to officially approve something.

“Confirm” is pronounced kuhn-FURM (/kənˈfɝm/ in IPA).

Here is “confirm” used in a sentence: “The lab results confirmed the diagnosis.”

The opposite of “confirm” — its antonyms — are infirm, disconfirm, deny, dispute and contradict.

“Confirm” is a verb.

The word “confirm” comes from Latin. From Old French confermer, from Latin cōnfirmāre, "to make firm" — from con- + firmāre ("to strengthen").

“Confirm” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Confirm” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to state or show that something is definitely true or accurate.

To confirm is to state or show that something is definitely true, often by giving assurance or approval. To verify goes a step further — it means actively checking evidence to prove something is accurate. You can confirm a booking by acknowledging it, but you verify facts by testing them against proof.

To confirm is to establish that something is definitely true, based on evidence or a reliable statement. To assume is to accept something as true without checking. Confirming removes doubt; assuming leaves it. Good practice is to confirm details rather than simply assume they are correct.

Replying to say you will attend an event confirms your booking. A doctor reviewing test results to establish a diagnosis confirms it. Checking a reservation number to make sure a hotel room is reserved also confirms it — each case shows or states that something is definitely true.

The opposite of confirm is to deny, contradict, or refute — to state that something is not true. To cancel is another opposite in the sense of undoing a confirmed arrangement. Where confirming removes doubt and settles a matter, denying rejects it and reopens uncertainty.