verify
verb
What verify means
To check that something is true or correct, for example your identity or an email address.
Please verify your email address.
I need to verify your identity.
Test yourself
Five questions about verify
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Question 1 of 5Meaning
What does verify mean?
When you verify something, you make sure it is true, usually with proof, such as a code that shows an email address really belongs to you.
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Question 2 of 5Situation
A new website sends a link to your email, and you click it to show that the address is really yours. You are asked to ___ your email address.
Clicking the link proves that the email address is real and belongs to you, and checking something with proof like this is called verifying it.
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Question 3 of 5Gap
The journalist called two sources to ___ the story before it was published.
Calling two people to make sure the story is true is checking it with proof, so the journalist wants to verify it.
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Question 4 of 5Similar word
Which word is closest in meaning to verify?
To verify something is to make sure it is true, and to confirm something means almost the same. Replace, request and remove describe different actions.
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Question 5 of 5Correct use
Which sentence uses verify correctly?
Verify takes its object directly, with no of, and a purpose needs to verify, not for verify. Verification is the noun, so it cannot be used as the verb.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer, Enter goes on.
Verify in a sentence
5 more examples of verify in everyday situations.
- Online accounts
Click the link in the email to verify your address.
- At the bank
We need to verify your identity before we can open the account.
- In the news
The photo spread quickly, but no one could verify where it was taken.
- At work
Please verify the figures before you send the report to the client.
- Passive
Your phone number has been verified.
How to use verify
Websites often ask you to verify your account. You get a code or a link, and you enter it to prove you are the right person.
Verify is stronger than check. It means you make sure with proof.
Forms
- verifieshe, she, it
- verifiedpast and past participle
- verifying-ing form
- verificationnoun
- verifiableadjective
Patterns
- verify something
- verify that + clause
- verify your identity / account / email
- be verified by someone
Common mistakes with verify
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NotPlease verify me.
SayPlease verify your identity.
Verify a fact, a detail or an identity, not a person.
Verify or check or confirm?
- verify or check
- Check is the everyday word for looking at something to see if it is right; verify is more formal and suggests proving it is true, often with evidence or an official step.
- verify or confirm
- You confirm something that you already expected or arranged, such as a booking; you verify something to find out whether it is true.
Verify is a C1 word. Is that your level? Take the level test or count the words you know.
Verify word family and collocations
The words that go with verify, so you can use it in a whole phrase.
Common collocations
- verify your account
- verify your identity
- verify the information
- verified account
- verification code
Word family
- verify (verb)
- verification (noun)
- verified (adjective)
Similar words
- confirm
- check
Questions about verify
What does verify your account mean?
It means proving that the account is really yours, usually by clicking a link in an email or typing a code sent to your phone.
What is the noun of verify?
The noun is verification, as in “email verification” or “a verification code”.
Is verify formal?
Yes, it is a little formal. In everyday speech people often say check or make sure; verify is common in official, technical and online contexts.
The word before
Do you still remember linger?
One question about the word from 18 October. Remembering a word a day later helps it stay.
One question
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What does linger mean?
If you linger, you do not hurry away. You stay a little longer than you need to, usually because you are enjoying the place or the moment.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer.
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