demonstrate

demonstrate

English

Etymology

    Borrowed from Latin dēmonstrātus, the perfect passive participle of dēmonstrō (to show, point at), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Cognate with French démontrer.

    Pronunciation

    • (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /ˈdɛm.ənˌstɹeɪt/
      • Audio (US):(file)
    • (Indic) IPA(key): /ɖᵻˈmɔns.ʈreʈ/

    Verb

    demonstrate (third-person singular simple present demonstrates, present participle demonstrating, simple past and past participle demonstrated)

    1. (transitive) To show how to use (something).
      Can you demonstrate the new tools for us?
      • 1987 February 8, Richard Zachs, “Candy is dandy (though maybe not liquor) - so for this Valentine's Day, video may be a whole lot more fun”, in The New York Daily News:
        In this tape, a velvet-voiced narrator provides a stroke-by-stroke guide to massaging your partner. As she speaks, comely nude couples demonstrate.
    2. To show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation.
    3. (intransitive) To participate in or organize a demonstration.
      Those people outside are demonstrating against the election results.
    4. (transitive) To show, display, or present; to prove or make evident
      • 2016, David A. Graham, “Donald Trump's Disastrous Debate”, in The Atlantic, page http://www.theatlantic.com/liveblogs/2016/10/second-presidential-debate-clinton-trump/503495/:
        The debate was not long on policy, as questions about the Affordable Care Act and the war in Syria demonstrated.
      • 2023 March 22, Paul Clifton, “CILT report urges £50m infill electrification schemes”, in RAIL, number 979, page 8:
        "What we are trying to demonstrate is that freight lines at lower speeds can be electrified much more cheaply. [] "

    Conjugation

    Conjugation of demonstrate
    infinitive (to) demonstrate
    present tense past tense
    1st-person singular demonstrate demonstrated
    2nd-person singular demonstrate, demonstratest demonstrated, demonstratedst
    3rd-person singular demonstrates, demonstrateth demonstrated
    plural demonstrate
    subjunctive demonstrate demonstrated
    imperative demonstrate
    participles demonstrating demonstrated

    Archaic or obsolete.

    Derived terms

    Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

    See also

    Esperanto

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /demonsˈtrate/
    • Rhymes: -ate

    Noun

    demonstrate

    1. present adverbial passive participle of demonstri

    Ido

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /deˈmonstrate/

    Verb

    demonstrate

    1. adverbial present passive participle of demonstrar

    Latin

    Verb

    dēmōnstrāte

    1. second-person plural present active imperative of dēmōnstrō

    Participle

    dēmōnstrāte

    1. vocative masculine singular of dēmōnstrātus