Standard Lemma guide

confirm

adv · verb · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /kənˈfɜːm/
  • General-American: /kənˈfɝm/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • South-Asia: /kənˈfɜ(r)m/
  • /kənˈfɔ(r)m/ rounded, proscribed
  • homophone: conform
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)m
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 N F ER1 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

For sure, definitely.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Manglish, Singlish, not-comparable

Examples

  • This is confirm not my handwriting.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To strengthen; to make firm or resolute.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To administer the sacrament of confirmation on (someone).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: Christianity

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To assure the accuracy of previous statements.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To approve a proposal or nomination.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The Senate must confirm federal court appointments.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

make more firm

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Confirm thy soul in self-control!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: strengthen, beef up, fortify

7

verb

Meaning 7

establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • his story confirmed my doubts
  • The evidence supports the defendant

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: corroborate, sustain, substantiate, support, affirm

Antonyms: none provided

Narrower terms: back, back up, vouch, verify, prove, demonstrate, establish, show, shew, document, validate

8

verb

Meaning 8

strengthen or make more firm

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The witnesses confirmed the victim's account

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: reassert

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: affirm

Narrower terms: uphold, maintain, justify, warrant, verify, validate, corroborate, reconfirm

9

verb

Meaning 9

administer the rite of confirmation to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the children were confirmed in their mother's faith

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: covenant

10

verb

Meaning 10

support a person for a position

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The Senate confirmed the President's candidate for Secretary of Defense

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: approve, O.K., okay, sanction

History

Etymology

From Middle English confirmen, confermen, from Old French confermer, from Latin cōnfirmāre (“to make firm, strengthen, establish”), from con- (“together”) + firmāre (“to make firm”), from firmus (“firm”).

Across languages

Translations

161 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: подкре́пям (podkrépjam) — to strengthen
  • Bulgarian: укре́пвам (ukrépvam) — to strengthen
  • Bulgarian: укре́пна (ukrépna) — to strengthen
  • Catalan: confirmar — to strengthen
  • Danish: bestyrke — to strengthen
  • Danish: bekræfte — to strengthen
  • Finnish: vahvistaa — to strengthen
  • Galician: confirmar — to strengthen
  • Gothic: 𐍄𐌿𐌻𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (tulgjan) — to strengthen
  • Hungarian: megerősít — to strengthen
  • Hungarian: véglegesít — to strengthen
  • Irish: daingnigh — to strengthen
  • Malayalam: ഉറപ്പാക്കുക (uṟappākkuka) — to strengthen
  • Māori: whakaturuma — to strengthen
  • Middle English: fermen — to strengthen
  • Middle English: confermen — to strengthen
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bekrefte — to strengthen
  • Norwegian Bokmål: stadfeste — to strengthen
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: bekrefte — to strengthen
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: stadfeste — to strengthen
  • Portuguese: firmar — to strengthen
  • Romanian: confirma — to strengthen
  • Russian: укрепля́ть (ukrepljátʹ) — to strengthen
  • Russian: укрепи́ть (ukrepítʹ) — to strengthen
  • Russian: уси́ливать (usílivatʹ) — to strengthen
  • Russian: уси́лить (usílitʹ) — to strengthen
  • Serbo-Croatian: учвр́стити — to strengthen
  • Serbo-Croatian: утвр́дити — to strengthen
  • Serbo-Croatian: učvŕstiti — to strengthen
  • Serbo-Croatian: utvŕditi — to strengthen
  • Swedish: bekräfta — to strengthen
  • Catalan: confirmar — to confer the confirmation
  • Czech: biřmovat — to confer the confirmation
  • Danish: bekræfte — to confer the confirmation
  • Danish: konfirmere — to confer the confirmation
  • Dutch: bevestigen — to confer the confirmation
  • Finnish: konfirmoida — to confer the confirmation
  • Galician: confirmar — to confer the confirmation
  • Georgian: დადასტურება (dadasṭureba) — to confer the confirmation
  • German: bestätigen — to confer the confirmation
  • Hungarian: bérmál — to confer the confirmation
  • Hungarian: konfirmál — to confer the confirmation
  • Icelandic: ferma — to confer the confirmation
  • Italian: cresimare — to confer the confirmation
  • Latin: ratihabeo — to confer the confirmation
  • Luxembourgish: bestätegen — to confer the confirmation
  • Māori: whakaū — to confer the confirmation
  • Middle English: confermen — to confer the confirmation
  • Norwegian: bekrefte — to confer the confirmation
  • Norwegian Bokmål: konfirmere — to confer the confirmation
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: konfirmere — to confer the confirmation
  • Polish: bierzmować — to confer the confirmation
  • Portuguese: confirmar — to confer the confirmation
  • Romanian: confirma — to confer the confirmation
  • Russian: подтвержда́ть (podtverždátʹ) — to confer the confirmation
  • Russian: подтверди́ть (podtverdítʹ) — to confer the confirmation
  • Serbo-Croatian: krȉzmati — to confer the confirmation
  • Spanish: confirmar — to confer the confirmation
  • Swedish: befästa — to confer the confirmation
  • Swedish: bekräfta — to confer the confirmation
  • Swedish: konfirmera — to confer the confirmation
  • Ukrainian: підтве́рджувати (pidtvérdžuvaty) — to confer the confirmation
  • Ukrainian: підтве́рдити (pidtvérdyty) — to confer the confirmation
  • Ukrainian: стве́рджувати (stvérdžuvaty) — to confer the confirmation
  • Albanian: vërtetoj — to assure
  • Arabic: أَكَّدَ (ʔakkada) — to assure
  • Arabic: أَثْبَتَ (ʔaṯbata) — to assure
  • Armenian: հավաստիացնել (havastiacʻnel) — to assure
  • Azerbaijani: təsdiqləmək — to assure
  • Azerbaijani: təsdiq etmək — to assure
  • Belarusian: пацвярджа́ць (pacvjardžácʹ) — to assure
  • Belarusian: пацвердзі́ць (pacvjerdzícʹ) — to assure
  • Bulgarian: потвържда́вам (potvǎrždávam) — to assure
  • Bulgarian: потвърдя́ (potvǎrdjá) — to assure
  • Bulgarian: утвържда́вам (utvǎrždávam) — to assure
  • Bulgarian: утвърдя́ (utvǎrdjá) — to assure
  • Burmese: အတည်ပြု (a.tanypru.) — to assure
  • Catalan: confirmar — to assure
  • Chinese Mandarin: 證實 /证实 (zhèngshí) — to assure
  • Chinese Mandarin: 確認 /确认 (quèrèn) — to assure
  • Ngazidja Comorian: uswadikisha — to assure
  • Czech: potvrzovat — to assure
  • Czech: potvrdit — to assure
  • Danish: forvisse — to assure
  • Danish: forsikre — to assure
  • Danish: bekræfte — to assure
  • Dutch: bevestigen — to assure
  • Dutch: beamen — to assure
  • Esperanto: konfirmi — to assure
  • Estonian: kinnitama — to assure
  • Estonian: tõendama — to assure
  • Finnish: vahvistaa — to assure
  • French: confirmer — to assure
  • Galician: confirmar — to assure
  • Georgian: დადასტურება (dadasṭureba) — to assure
  • German: bestätigen — to assure
  • German: bekräftigen — to assure
  • Greek: επιβεβαιώνω (epivevaióno) — to assure
  • Greek: οριστικοποιώ (oristikopoió) — to assure
  • Ancient Greek: βεβαιόω (bebaióō) — to assure
  • Hindi: पुष्टि करना (puṣṭi karnā) — to assure
  • Hungarian: megerősít — to assure
  • Icelandic: staðfesta — to assure
  • Ido: verigar — to assure
  • Italian: confermare — to assure
  • Japanese: 確認する (kakunin suru) — to assure
  • Kazakh: дәлелдеу (däleldeu) — to assure
  • Kazakh: растау (rastau) — to assure
  • Khmer: កំជាប់ (kɑmcŏəp) — to assure
  • Khmer: បញ្ជាក់ (bɑɑbɑñcĕək) — to assure
  • Korean: 확인하다 (hwaginhada) — to assure
  • Kyrgyz: ырастоо (ırastoo) — to assure
  • Lao: ຢືນຢັນ (yư̄n yan) — to assure
  • Latin: confirmō — to assure
  • Latvian: apstiprināt — to assure
  • Lithuanian: patvirtinti — to assure
  • Macedonian: потврдува (potvrduva) — to assure
  • Macedonian: потврди (potvrdi) — to assure
  • Malay: mengesahkan — to assure
  • Malayalam: സ്ഥിരീകരിക്കുക (sthirīkarikkuka) — to assure
  • Māori: whakakoia — to assure
  • Middle English: fermen — to assure
  • Middle English: confermen — to assure
  • Mongolian: батлах (batlax) — to assure
  • Norman: confirmer — to assure
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bekfrefte — to assure
  • Norwegian Bokmål: forsikre om — to assure
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: bekrefte — to assure
  • Persian: تایید کردن (ta'yid kardan) — to assure
  • Persian: تصدیق کردن (tasdiq kardan) — to assure
  • Polish: potwierdzać — to assure
  • Polish: potwierdzić — to assure
  • Portuguese: confirmar — to assure
  • Romanian: a confirma — to assure
  • Russian: подтвержда́ть (podtverždátʹ) — to assure
  • Russian: подтверди́ть (podtverdítʹ) — to assure
  • Russian: подкрепля́ть (podkrepljátʹ) — to assure
  • Russian: подкрепи́ть (podkrepítʹ) — to assure
  • Serbo-Croatian: потврђи́вати — to assure
  • Serbo-Croatian: потвр́дити — to assure
  • Serbo-Croatian: potvrđívati — to assure
  • Serbo-Croatian: potvŕditi — to assure
  • Slovak: potvrdzovať — to assure
  • Slovak: potvrdiť — to assure
  • Slovene: potrjevati — to assure
  • Slovene: potrditi — to assure
  • Spanish: confirmar — to assure
  • Swedish: konfirmera — to assure
  • Swedish: försäkra — to assure
  • Swedish: bekräfta — to assure
  • Tajik: тасдиқ кардан (tasdiq kardan) — to assure
  • Thai: ยืนยัน (yʉʉn-yan) — to assure
  • Turkish: onaylamak — to assure
  • Turkish: tasdik etmek — to assure
  • Ukrainian: підтве́рджувати (pidtvérdžuvaty) — to assure
  • Ukrainian: підтве́рдити (pidtvérdyty) — to assure
  • Ukrainian: підкріпля́ти (pidkripljáty) — to assure
  • Ukrainian: підкріпи́ти (pidkripýty) — to assure
  • Urdu: تصدیق کرنا (tasdīq karnā) — to assure
  • Uzbek: tasdiqlamoq — to assure
  • Vietnamese: xác nhận — to assure