English Reference
Noun

corroboration

n. uncountable
C1 Advanced US /kɝˌɔbɝˈeɪʃən/ UK /kəɹˌɒbəɹˈeɪʃən/ cor·rob·o·ra·tion UK spelling corroborations

n.proof or support for a story or a piece of evidence. You use this when you want to show that what someone says is true because there is more than one source of information.

n.the act of providing evidence that supports or confirms a statement, theory, or finding. Often used in legal or scientific contexts to describe the strengthening of a claim through independent data.


SIMPLE

The witness provided corroboration for the suspect's alibi.

CONTEXTUAL

The discovery of the ancient coins provided the necessary corroboration for the historian's theory about the city's trade routes.

COMPLEX

While the initial data suggested a correlation, the study lacked the statistical corroboration required by the peer review board to be published in a high-impact journal.

Deniz Ugur In fact, Scottish law is underpinned by the principle of corroboration, where two independent sources of evidence are required to prove a criminal accusation.

The Guardian· 29 Aug 2026

From Middle English corroboracioun, borrowed from Late Latin corrōborātiō (“strengthening”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin la-lat corrōborātiō
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated