Meaning & use
corroborating
Last updated
“corroborating” is a form of “corroborate”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveformal
Giving extra evidence that supports a statement or finding and makes it more believable.
Grammar: Takes an object: corroborating her story.
Patterns
- corroborate something
- corroborate a claim
Two witnesses were corroborating her account of the accident.
The new data are corroborating the earlier findings.
Security footage is corroborating his alibi.
adjectivebefore a nounlegal
Serving to support or confirm something already said or found.
Grammar: Used before words such as evidence, detail or testimony.
Patterns
- corroborating evidence
The judge wanted corroborating evidence before accepting the claim.
A corroborating detail made the story more convincing.
Without corroborating testimony, the case collapsed.
Word forms
| base form | corroborate |
|---|---|
| third person singular | corroborates |
| past tense | corroborated |
| past participle | corroborated |
Common combinations
- corroborating evidence
- Police needed corroborating evidence to make an arrest.
- corroborating testimony
- Her corroborating testimony helped the defense.
- corroborating details
- Corroborating details made the report credible.
- corroborating witness
- A corroborating witness stepped forward.
- independently corroborated
- The claim was independently corroborated by two sources.
Synonyms and how they differ
- confirming
- Confirming is the everyday word for showing something is true, while corroborating implies adding support from a second source.
- supporting
- Supporting can be any kind of help, but corroborating specifically strengthens a claim with evidence.
- verifying
- Verifying means checking something is true, often by testing, rather than adding supporting statements.
- substantiating
- Substantiating is close but suggests supplying proof for a claim at length.
Opposites
Word family
- corroborate verb
- to support a statement with further evidence
- corroboration noun
- evidence that supports a claim
- corroborative adjective
- giving support or confirmation
- uncorroborated adjective
- not supported by further evidence
Commonly confused: corroborating or collaborating? corroborating or corrode?
corroborating vs collaborating
Collaborating means working together, whereas corroborating means backing up a claim with evidence.
corroborating vs corrode
Corrode means to wear away gradually, as rust does, and shares only the first letters.
Practice
The journalist refused to publish the claim without ___ evidence from a second source.
Choose one answer.
Corroborating evidence supports a claim from another angle. Conflicting would contradict it, while corroding and collaborating do not fit the noun evidence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “corroborating”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.