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Definition of "evidence" []

  • A thing or things helpful in forming a conclusion or judgment: The broken window was evidence that a burglary had taken place. Scientists weigh the evidence for and against a hypothesis. (noun)
  • Something indicative; an outward sign: evidence of grief on a mourner's face. (noun)
  • Law The documentary or oral statements and the material objects admissible as testimony in a court of law. (noun)
  • To indicate clearly; exemplify or prove. (verb-transitive)
  • To support by testimony; attest. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "evidence" in a sentence
  • "And the accumulation of evidence –not just your and my anecdotal evidence– suggests that this is true."
  • "But  remember now, there is some hair evidence and there's some fiber evidence  in some of these cases."
  • "If there are any who imagine, that positive and direct evidence is absolutely necessary to conviction, they are much mistaken; it is a mistake, I believe, very common with those who commit offences: they fancy that they are secure because they are not seen at the moment; but you may prove their guilt as conclusively, perhaps even more satisfactorily, by _circumstantial evidence_, as by any _direct evidence_ that can possibly be given."