ENGLISH
REFERENCE

confirm

v.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //kənˈfɝm// UK //kənfˈɜːm// con·firm Academic General-service

v. to say or show that something is definitely true. You use this when you want to make sure a plan or a piece of information is correct.

v. to establish the truth or correctness of something previously believed or suspected; to provide verification for a statement or plan.


SIMPLE

Please call the office to confirm your appointment.

CONTEXTUAL

The laboratory results confirm that the water is safe for the local community to drink.

COMPLEX

While the initial data suggested a correlation, the researchers needed a larger sample size to confirm their hypothesis before publishing the final report.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

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”).

Usage

The verb is transitive and often takes a 'that' clause or a direct noun object.

Pitfall

I confirm you that I will comeI confirm that I will comeConfirm does not take an indirect person object (like 'you') before the 'that' clause; it focuses on the information being verified.

© 2026 English Reference