Meanings
present singular third person demonstrates · participle present demonstrating · participle past demonstrated · past demonstrated · first person past singular demonstrated · archaic present second person singular demonstratest · past second person singular demonstrated · archaic past second person singular demonstratedst · present singular third person demonstrates · archaic present singular third person demonstrateth · past singular third person demonstrated · past plural demonstrated · past subjunctive demonstrated · participle present demonstrating · participle past demonstrated
- transitiveTo show how to use (something).
Can you demonstrate the new tools for us?
1 more example
In this tape, a velvet-voiced narrator provides a stroke-by-stroke guide to massaging your partner. As she speaks, comely nude couples demonstrate.
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 - intransitiveTo participate in or organize a demonstration.
Those people outside are demonstrating against the election results.
- transitiveTo show, display, or present; to prove or make evident
The debate was not long on policy, as questions about the Affordable Care Act and the war in Syria demonstrated.
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/503495/1 more example
"What we are trying to demonstrate is that freight lines at lower speeds can be electrified much more cheaply. […]"
2023 March 22, Paul Clifton, “CILT report urges £50m infill electrification schemes”, in RAIL, number 979, page 8
Synonyms & antonyms
verbestablish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
verbprovide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*de
- Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
- Proto-Italic*dē
- Latindē
- Latindē-
- Proto-Indo-European*men-
- Proto-Indo-European*monéyeti
- Proto-Italic*man-eje-
- Proto-Italic*moneō
- Proto-Italic*monestrom
- Latinmōnstrum
- Latinmōnstrō
- Latindēmōnstrō
- Latindēmōnstrātus
- Englishdemonstrate
Borrowed from Latin dēmonstrātus, the perfect passive participle of dēmonstrō (“to show, point at”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Cognate with French démontrer.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic تَظَاهَر, احْتَجَّ
- تَظَاهَر (taẓāhar)to participate in a demonstration
- احْتَجَّto participate in a demonstration
Bulgarian показвам, демонстрирам
- показвам (pokazvam)to show how to use something
- демонстрирам (demonstriram)to show how to use something
- демонстрирам (demonstriram)to participate in a demonstration
Catalan demostrar, demostrar
- demostrarto show how to use something
- demostrarto show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
Chinese Mandarin 论证
- 论证 (lùnzhèng)to show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
Czech demonstrovat
- demonstrovatto participate in a demonstration
Danish demonstrere, demonstrere
- demonstrereto show how to use something
- demonstrereto show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
Dutch demonstreren
- demonstrerento show how to use something
Esperanto montri, elmontri
- montrito show how to use something
- elmontrito show how to use something
- demonstrito show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- manifestaciito participate in a demonstration
Finnish näyttää, demonstroida
- näyttääto show how to use something
- demonstroidato show how to use something
- osoittaato show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- demonstroidato show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- osoittaa mieltäänto participate in a demonstration
- demonstroidato participate in a demonstration
French démontrer, manifester
- démontrerto show how to use something
- manifesterto participate in a demonstration
German demonstrieren, demonstrieren
- demonstrierento show how to use something
- demonstrierento show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- aufzeigento show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- demonstrierento participate in a demonstration
Greek δείχνω, διαδηλώνω
- δείχνω (deíchno)to show how to use something
- διαδηλώνω (diadilóno)to participate in a demonstration
Hebrew הפגין
- הפגין (hifgín)to participate in a demonstration
Hungarian bemutat, szemléltet
- bemutatto show how to use something
- szemléltetto show how to use something
- kimutatto show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- igazolto show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- bizonyítto show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- bebizonyítto show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- tüntetto participate in a demonstration
Italian dimostrare, dimostrare
- dimostrareto show how to use something
- dimostrareto show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- manifestareto participate in a demonstration
Latin doceo, demonstro
- doceoto show how to use something
- demonstroto show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
Māori porotēhe
- porotēheto participate in a demonstration
Norwegian Bokmål demonstrere
- demonstrereto participate in a demonstration
Polish demonstrować, zademonstrować
- demonstrowaćto show how to use something
- zademonstrowaćto show how to use something
- demonstrowaćto show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- zademonstrowaćto show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- demonstrowaćto participate in a demonstration
- zademonstrowaćto participate in a demonstration
Portuguese demonstrar, demonstrar
- demonstrarto show how to use something
- demonstrarto show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
Romanian demonstra
- demonstrato show how to use something
Russian пока́зывать, показа́ть
- пока́зывать (pokázyvatʹ)to show how to use something
- показа́ть (pokazátʹ)to show how to use something
- демонстри́ровать (demonstrírovatʹ)to show how to use something
- продемонстри́ровать (prodemonstrírovatʹ)to show how to use something
- демонстри́ровать (demonstrírovatʹ)to show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- продемонстри́ровать (prodemonstrírovatʹ)to show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
Scottish Gaelic tog fianais
- tog fianaisto participate in a demonstration
Spanish demostrar, demonstrar
- demostrarto show how to use something
- demonstrarto show how to use something
- demostrarto show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- demonstrarto show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- manifestarto participate in a demonstration
Swedish demonstrera, förevisa
- demonstrerato show how to use something
- förevisato show how to use something
- demonstrerato show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
- demonstrerato participate in a demonstration
Thai สาธิต, แสดง
- สาธิต (sǎa-tít)to show how to use something
- แสดง (sà-dɛɛng)to show the steps taken to create a logical argument or equation
Vietnamese biểu tình
- biểu tìnhto participate in a demonstration
Cite this entry
demonstrate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demonstrate
“demonstrate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demonstrate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “demonstrate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demonstrate.
Source: demonstrate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.