demonstrate
verb
Simple meaning
To show how something works or that something is true.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dehmuhnstraytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdɛmənstɹeɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To show, display, or present; to prove or make evident
transitive
To show how to use (something).
To show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation.
intransitive
To participate in or organize a demonstration.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To show, display, or present; to prove or make evident
Used this way, demonstrate is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use demonstrate
- “Thousands demonstrated against globalization during the meeting of the most powerful economic nations in Seattle.”verb
- “The experiment demonstrated the instability of the compound.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
To establish, to prove.
To show plainly; to make to appear distinctly, usually to the mind; to put beyond question or doubt; to display; to….
To display, to have somebody see (something).
To display or show (something) for others to see, especially at an exhibition or contest.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A teacher or teacher's assistant who demonstrates the principles that are being taught.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.