confirm

• POS: Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: con=firm
• COUNT in NET: 16 in 16 verses (in OT : 13 in 13 verses) (in NT : 3 in 3 verses)

CIDE DICTIONARY

confirm, v. t. [OE. confermen, confirmen, OF. confermer, F. confirmer, fr. L. confirmare; con- + firmare to make firm, fr. firmus firm. See Firm.].

•  To make firm or firmer; to add strength to; to establish; as, health is confirmed by exercise.  [1913 Webster]

  "Confirm the crown to me and to mine heirs."  [1913 Webster]

  "And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law."  [1913 Webster]
•  To strengthen in judgment or purpose.  [1913 Webster]

  "Confirmed, then, I resolve
  Adam shall share with me in bliss or woe."  [1913 Webster]
•  To give new assurance of the truth of; to render certain; to verify; to corroborate; as, to confirm a rumor.  [1913 Webster]

  "Your eyes shall witness and confirm my tale."  [1913 Webster]

  "These likelihoods confirm her flight."  [1913 Webster]
•  To render valid by formal assent; to complete by a necessary sanction; to ratify; as, to confirm the appoinment of an official; the Senate confirms a treaty.  [1913 Webster]

  "That treaty so prejudicial ought to have been remitted rather than confimed."  [1913 Webster]
•  To administer the rite of confirmation to. See Confirmation, 3.  [1913 Webster]

  "Those which are thus confirmed are thereby supposed to be fit for admission to the sacrament."

Syn. -- To strengthen; corroborate; substantiate; establish; fix; ratify; settle; verify; assure.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

confirm, v.tr.
1 provide support for the truth or correctness of; make definitely valid (confirmed my suspicions; confirmed his arrival time).
2 (foll. by in) encourage (a person) in (an opinion etc.).
3 establish more firmly (power, possession, etc.).
4 ratify (a treaty, possession, title, etc.); make formally valid.
5 administer the religious rite of confirmation to.

Derivative

confirmative adj. confirmatory adj.

Etymology

ME f. OF confermer f. L confirmare (as com-, firm(1))

THESAURUS

confirm

OK, accede, accept, acclimate, acclimatize, accommodate, accredit, accustom, acquiesce, adapt, addict, adjust, administer the Eucharist, affirm, amen, anoint, approve, assay, assent, assure, attest, audit, authenticate, authorize, autograph, back, back up, be sponsor for, bear out, bed, beef up, bind, bolster, bond, brace, brace up, break, break in, bring to test, buttress, case harden, certify, check, check and doublecheck, check out, check over, chrism, circumstantiate, clinch, collate, condition, consent, corroborate, cosign, countersecure, countersign, cross-check, cut and try, deep-dye, define, do duty, document, domesticate, domesticize, double-check, embed, encourage, endorse, engraft, engrave, ensure, entrench, essay, establish, etch, experiment, familiarize, fix, fortify, found, gentle, gird, give a try, give a tryout, give permission, give the go-ahead, give the imprimatur, give thumbs up, ground, guarantee, guaranty, habituate, harden, have a go, housebreak, impact, implant, impose, impress, imprint, infix, ingrain, initial, inscribe, insure, inure, invigorate, jam, justify, lay hands on, lodge, make good, minister, naturalize, nerve, notarize, officiate, orient, orientate, pack, painstakingly match, pass, pass on, pass upon, perform a rite, perform service, permit, plant, play around with, practice upon, print, probate, prop, prove, put to trial, ratify, recheck, recognize, refresh, reinforce, reinvigorate, research, restrengthen, road-test, root, rubber stamp, run a sample, sample, sanction, say amen to, scrutinize comparatively, seal, season, seat, second, secure, set, set in, settle, shake down, shore up, sign, sign and seal, sign for, sponsor, stamp, stand behind, stand up for, steel, stereotype, stiffen, strengthen, subscribe, subscribe to, substantiate, support, sustain, swear and affirm, swear to, take to, tame, taste, temper, test, toughen, train, triple-check, try, try it on, try out, undergird, underpin, undersign, underwrite, uphold, validate, verify, visa, vise, vouch, warrant, wedge, witness, wont

ROGET THESAURUS

confirm

Compact

VB contract, covenant, agree for, engage, treat, negotiate, stipulate, make terms, bargain, make a bargain, strike a bargain, come to terms, come to an understanding, compromise, set at rest, close, close with, conclude, complete, settle, confirm, ratify, clench, subscribe, underwrite, endorse, indorse, put the seal to, sign, seal, indent, take one at one's word, bargain by inch of candle.

Rite

VB perform service, do duty, minister, officiate, baptize, dip, sprinkle, anoint, confirm, lay hands on, give the sacrament, administer the sacrament, administer extreme unction, hear confession, administer holy penance, shrive, excommunicate, ban with bell book and candle, attend services, attend mass, go to mass, hear mass, take the sacrament, receive the sacrament, receive communion, attend the sacrament, partake of the sacrament, partake of communion, communicate, receive extreme unction, confess, go to confession, receive penance, anele, preach, sermonize, predicate, lecture.

Evidence

VB be evidence, evince, show, betoken, tell of, indicate, imply, involve, argue, bespeak, breathe, have weight, carry weight, tell, speak volumes, speak for itself, rest upon, depend upon, repose on, bear witness, give evidence, testify, depose, witness, vouch for, sign, seal, undersign, set one's hand and seal, sign and seal, deliver as one's act and deed, certify, attest, acknowledge, make absolute, confirm, prove (demonstrate), indorse, countersign, corroborate, support, ratify, bear out, uphold, warrant, adduce, attest, cite, quote, refer to, appeal to, call, call to witness, bring forward, bring into court, allege, plead, produce witnesses, confront witnesses, place into evidence, mark into evidence, collect evidence, bring together evidence, rake up evidence, experiment, have a case, make out a case, establish, authenticate, substantiate, verify, make good, quote chapter and verse, bring home to, bring to book.

Demonstration

VB demonstrate, prove, establish, make good, show, evince, manifest, confirm, corroborate, substantiate, verify, settle the question, reduce to demonstration, set the question at rest, make out, make out a case, prove one's point, have the best of the argument, draw a conclusion, follow, follow of course, follow as a matter of course, follow necessarily, stand to reason, hold good, hold water, convince, persuade (belief).

Judgment

VB judge, conclude, come to a conclusion, draw a conclusion, arrive at a conclusion, ascertain, determine, make up one's mind, deduce, derive, gather, collect, draw an inference, make a deduction, weet, ween, form an estimate, estimate, appreciate, value, count, assess, rate, rank, account, regard, consider, think of, look upon, review, size up, settle, pass an opinion, give an opinion, decide, try, pronounce, rule, pass judgment, pass sentence, sentence, doom, find, give judgment, deliver judgment, adjudge, adjudicate, arbitrate, award, report, bring in a verdict, make absolute, set a question at rest, confirm, comment, criticize, kibitz, pass under review, investigate, hold the scales, sit in judgment, try judgment, hear a cause.

Assent

VB assent, give assent, yield assent, nod assent, acquiesce, agree, receive, accept, accede, accord, concur, lend oneself to, consent, coincide, reciprocate, go with, be at one with, go along with, chime in with, strike in with, close in with, echo, enter into one's views, agree in opinion, vote, give one's voice for, recognize, subscribe to, conform to, defer to, say yes to, say ditto, amen to, say aye to, acknowledge, own, admit, allow, avow, confess, concede, come round to, abide by, permit, arrive at an understanding, come to an understanding, come to terms, come to an agreement, confirm, affirm, ratify, appprove, indorse, countersign, corroborate, go with the stream, swim with the stream, go with the flow, blow with the wind, be in fashion, join in the chorus, join the crowd, be one of the guys, be part of the group, go with the crowd, don't make waves, be in every mouth.