From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
prove
v 1: be shown or be found to be; "She proved to be right"; "The
medicine turned out to save her life"; "She turned up HIV
positive" [syn: prove, turn out, turn up]
2: establish the validity of something, as by an example,
explanation or experiment; "The experiment demonstrated the
instability of the compound"; "The mathematician showed the
validity of the conjecture" [syn: prove, demonstrate,
establish, show, shew] [ant: confute, disprove]
3: provide evidence for; "The blood test showed that he was the
father"; "Her behavior testified to her incompetence" [syn:
testify, bear witness, prove, evidence, show]
4: prove formally; demonstrate by a mathematical, formal proof
5: put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use
to; "This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test
this recipe" [syn: test, prove, try, try out,
examine, essay]
6: increase in volume; "the dough rose slowly in the warm room"
[syn: rise, prove]
7: cause to puff up with a leaven; "unleavened bread" [syn:
raise, leaven, prove]
8: take a trial impression of
9: obtain probate of; "prove a will"
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Prove \Prove\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Proved; p. pr. & vb. n.
Proving.] [OE. prover, F. prouver, fr. L. probare to try,
approve, prove, fr. probus good, proper. Cf. Probable,
Proof, Probe.]
1. To try or to ascertain by an experiment, or by a test or
standard; to test; as, to prove the strength of gunpowder
or of ordnance; to prove the contents of a vessel by a
standard measure.
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Thou hast proved mine heart. --Ps. xvii. 3.
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2. To evince, establish, or ascertain, as truth, reality, or
fact, by argument, testimony, or other evidence.
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They have inferred much from slender premises, and
conjectured when they could not prove. --J. H.
Newman.
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3. To ascertain or establish the genuineness or validity of;
to verify; as, to prove a will.
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4. To gain experience of the good or evil of; to know by
trial; to experience; to suffer.
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Where she, captived long, great woes did prove.
--Spenser.
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5. (Arith.) To test, evince, ascertain, or verify, as the
correctness of any operation or result; thus, in
subtraction, if the difference between two numbers, added
to the lesser number, makes a sum equal to the greater,
the correctness of the subtraction is proved.
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6. (Printing) To take a trial impression of; to take a proof
of; as, to prove a page.
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Syn: To try; verify; justify; confirm; establish; evince;
manifest; show; demonstrate.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Prove \Prove\, v. i.
1. To make trial; to essay.
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2. To be found by experience, trial, or result; to turn out
to be; as, a medicine proves salutary; the report proves
false. "The case proves mortal." --Arbuthnot.
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So life a winter's morn may prove. --Keble.
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3. To succeed; to turn out as expected. [Obs.] "The
experiment proved not." --Bacon.
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