prove a point meaning, prove a point definition | English Cobuild dictionary

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prove
( proves 3rd person present) ( proving present participle) ( proved past tense) ( proved past participle) ( proven past participle )

1       v-link   If something provesto be true or to have a particular quality, it becomes clear after a period of time that it is true or has that quality.
We have been accused of exaggerating before, but unfortunately all our reports proved to be true...      V to-inf
In the past this process of transition has often proven difficult.      V adj
...an experiment which was to prove a source of inspiration for many years to come.      V n

2       verb   If you provethat something is true, you show by means of argument or evidence that it is definitely true.
You brought this charge. You prove it!...      V n
The results prove that regulation of the salmon farming industry is inadequate.      V that
...trying to prove how groups of animals have evolved...      V wh
That made me hopping mad and determined to prove him wrong...      V n adj
History will prove him to have been right all along.      V n to-inf
...a proven cause of cancer.      V-ed

3       verb   If you proveyourself to have a certain good quality, you show by your actions that you have it.
Margaret proved herself to be a good mother...      V pron-refl to-inf
As a composer he proved himself adept at large dramatic forms...      V pron-refl adj
A man needs time to prove himself...      V pron-refl
Few would argue that this team has experience and proven ability.      V-ed, Also V pron-refl n, V that

4    If you prove a point, you show other people that you know something or can do something, although your action may have no other purpose.
♦ prove a point             phrase   V inflects
They made a 3,000 mile detour simply to prove a point.

Translation English Cobuild Collins Dictionary

prove ( proves 3rd person present) ( proving present participle) ( proved past tense) ( proved past participle) ( proven past participle )

4    If you prove a point, you show other people that you know something or can do something, although your action may have no other purpose.
♦ prove a point      phrase   V inflects
They made a 3,000 mile detour simply to prove a point.

Translation English Cobuild Collins Dictionary

prove

1 ascertain, attest, authenticate, bear out, confirm, corroborate, demonstrate, determine, establish, evidence, evince, justify, show, show clearly, substantiate, verify

2 analyse, assay, check, examine, experiment, put to the test, put to trial, test, try

3    be found to be, come out, end up, result, turn out

Antonyms

1 discredit, disprove, give the lie to, refute, rule out

English Collins Dictionary - English synonyms & Thesaurus

See also:

proven, proverb, provide, provoke

Collaborative Dictionary English Cobuild


nuke the fridge	exp.	(about a movie or TV series) reach a point when, due to a unauthentic scene, it loses the appreciation of the public	made popular by "Indiana Jones" whose hero survives an explosion by hiding in a fridge
! women and horses there is none flawless	n.	des femmes et des chevaux il n'y en a point sans défaut
tipping point	n.	the point where a minor change turns into a major and irreversible one	[Bus.] E.g. : Some have anticipated that social media would be the tipping point of web marketing.
! in an old body, cure point	n.	à vieux corps, point de remède
! at loved saint, hungry sheep point	n.	à saint_aimé, point de moutons affamés
! in hot oven only grows grass point	n.	en four chaud ne croît point d'herbe
POV	n.	point of view	In cinema, refers to camera technique (caméra subjective).
! for player trading has latch point	n.	à bourse de joueur n'a point de loquet
! plaid has no love	n.	en plaid n'a point d'amour
! starving stomach has no ear	n.	ventre affamé n'a point d'oreille
! the self controlled man will have no masters points	exp.	l'homme maître de soi n'aura point d'autre maître
! in party asked no council	n.	à parti pris point de conseil
! outside the church no safety	exp.	hors de l'église point de salut	culture générale si l'on souhaite réussir une affaire, il faut s'en donner les moyens
! beautiful to speak do not graze the tongue	n.	beau parler n'écorche point la langue
! at beaten path, there grows grass point	n.	à chemin battu, il ne croît point d'herbe
! against the death, no remedy	n.	contre la mort, point de remède
! no wings has the fly who flies	exp.	point d'ailes a la mouche qui vole
! everyone his job and the cat will go to milk the point	n.	chacun son métier et le chat n'ira point au lait
max out	exp.	reach an extreme point or an upper limit; exhaust all options or resources
antipodes	n.	the diametrically opposite point on Earth's surface for a specific place
I rest my case	n.	Phrase used when someone has brought all the evidences to support his point of view; "I'm done with explanations"
lose sleep over something	exp.	worry about something; be concerned about smth. (to the point of not being able to fall asleep)
what goes around comes around	id.	expression used to point out that one will eventually face the consequences of his own actions

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"Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learners 4th edition published in 2003 © HarperCollins Publishers 1987, 1995, 2001, 2003 and Collins A-Z Thesaurus 1st edition first published in 1995 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995"