1
Confirm a prediction
Show that an earlier expectation was accurate.
Example
Later measurements bore out the forecast.
bear out
/ˌbɛər ˈaʊt/ · BAIR OWTevidence phrase
Confirm or support a claim through evidence or experience.
Use bear out to signal this exact relationship between ideas: confirm or support a claim through evidence or experience.
What bear out Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Support testimony
Provide evidence consistent with an account.
Example
The receipts bear out the witness’s description.
3
Validate through experience
Demonstrate in practice that an idea holds.
Example
Field trials bore out the laboratory result.
Use bear out Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Later measurements bore out the forecast.
The receipts bear out the witness’s description.
Field trials bore out the laboratory result.
Precision Matters
Bear out overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
bear out
vs.Signals confirm or support a claim through evidence or experience.
corroborate
Means confirm or support a statement with additional evidence.
bear out
vs.Signals confirm or support a claim through evidence or experience.
call into question
Means raise doubts about the truth, reliability, or validity of something.
bear out
vs.Signals confirm or support a claim through evidence or experience.
as evidenced by
Means as shown or supported by the evidence that follows.
bear out
vs.Signals confirm or support a claim through evidence or experience.
speculate
Means to form a theory or guess without firm supporting evidence.
Test bear out in Context
The documents provide confirming evidence for the claim.
1
The dated receipts ___ the curator’s claim that the collection was moved before the flood.