Definition of "substantiate" [sub•stan•ti•ate]

• To support with proof or evidence; verify: substantiate an accusation. See Synonyms at confirm. (verb-transitive)
• To give material form to; embody. (verb-transitive)
• To make firm or solid. (verb-transitive)
• To give substance to; make real or actual. (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.

• "About the worst anyone can substantiate is that Obama derailed another Democrat or two for using fake signatures to get on the ballot."
• "I have waited for many hours now for anyone to substantiate a word of what Shuster said."
• "More-over, those who used his name to substantiate their own pet notions, those who would quote and misquote him endlessly, would find it convenient to forget that it was he who insisted that no canal should be considered until the comparative advantages and disadvantages of all possible routes were examined firsthand by experienced people and according to uniform standards."