they corroborate

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "they corroborate" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when referring to evidence or information that supports or confirms a claim or statement. Example: "The witness testimonies they corroborate the defendant's alibi." Alternative expressions include "they confirm" and "they support."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

32 human-written examples

They corroborate each other.

The Guardian - Arts

They corroborate her description of the physical attack: "Patient reports that an OKC police officer wrongly detained her, cuffed her, and pushed her face into a concrete wall.

The Guardian

They corroborate previous allegations that the US military turned over many prisoners to the Wolf Brigade, the feared 2nd battalion of the interior ministry's special commandos.

The Guardian

In places they corroborate one another; elsewhere they diverge, or throw new light on the same incidents by offering a different perspective.

The Guardian - Books

"While it may not be unusual for a terminated employee to bring forth allegations against their former employer," Mr. Pleffner wrote in his memorandum, "in this case they corroborate pre-existing concerns".

The New York Times

During an interesting part, she said, "This is the part where I'm just, like, Do we need any of this?" As the episode drew to a close, she said, "How exactly did they corroborate it?

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

28 human-written examples

"They corroborated the women's stories.

The Guardian

When the DNA results came back, they corroborated Mr. Gonzalez's account.

The New York Times

He and his frequent collaborator, Jamie Kalven, who runs a nonprofit journalism project called the Invisible Institute, interviewed witnesses, and they corroborated what the caller had said.

The New Yorker

Ms Watts said that she felt under pressure to "mould" her reports "not for any news purpose" but so that they corroborated Mr Gilligan's.

The Economist

The way the Post story was written, how they explained the way they corroborated their story, the full disclosures — I was immediately, like, 'These allegations have some credibility.' " He went on, "this pushback against 'liberal media,' to me, that's just a scapegoat tactic.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Reserved for contexts involving facts, data, or testimony where credibility is being established.

Common error

Do not use "they corroborate" to describe friends agreeing on subjective matters like a favorite food. The word implies a formal or evidentiary process of confirmation.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "they corroborate" acts as a subject-verb sequence where the plural pronoun they refers to evidence, findings, or witnesses. According to Ludwig AI, it typically functions transitively, requiring an object such as "the findings" or "the account".

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

55%

News & Media

35%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

4%

Wiki

3%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "they corroborate" is a precise and formal way to indicate that multiple sources of evidence are in agreement. Ludwig AI shows that it is most frequently used in Science and News & Media to establish the credibility of claims. Whether referring to DNA results in a legal case or numerical data in a research paper, the phrase serves to strengthen an argument by highlighting consistency across different points of data. While alternatives like "they confirm" are more common in general usage, "they corroborate" remains the gold standard for formal validation and evidentiary support.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

they confirm

implies a more definitive or final establishment of truth

they substantiate

more formal and specifically refers to providing evidence for a charge or claim

they support

a broader and slightly less formal term for alignment

they verify

emphasizes the process of checking or testing the accuracy of information

they validate

suggests proving something is logically or legally sound

they back up

a common phrasal verb alternative suitable for neutral or informal contexts

they bear out

an idiomatic expression often used when results match a hypothesis

they reinforce

indicates that the new information makes an existing argument stronger

they bolster

implies adding significant weight or strength to a potentially weak claim

they authenticate

specifically used when proving an object or document is genuine

FAQs

How to use "they corroborate" in a sentence?

You can use it to show how evidence supports a statement, for example: "The witness testimonies they corroborate the defendant's alibi." If you need a simpler alternative, you might use "they confirm".

What is a synonym for "they corroborate"?

Common synonyms include "they substantiate", "they support", or "they back up".

Is "they corroborate" formal?

Yes, it is considered formal and is frequently found in academic journals, legal documents and high-quality journalism. In casual speech, people often prefer "they match".

What is the difference between "they corroborate" and "they verify"?

While "they corroborate" means that information from one source supports another, "they verify" specifically suggests checking a fact against a reliable standard to prove it is true.