Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Latin
Origin: demonstratus, past participle of demonstrare, from monstrare 'to show'

demonstrate

 verb
     
dem‧on‧strate W2
1 [transitive] to show or prove something clearly:
The study demonstrates the link between poverty and malnutrition.
demonstrate that
Hitchcock's films demonstrate that a British filmmaker could learn from Hollywood.
demonstrate how/what/why etc
This section will attempt to demonstrate how the Bank of England operates.
The government now has an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to reform.
2 [transitive] to show or describe how to do something or how something works
demonstrate how
They'll be demonstrating how to handle modern, high performance cars.
Instructors should demonstrate new movements before letting the class try them.
3 [intransitive] to protest or support something in public with a lot of other people:
Supporters demonstrated outside the courtroom during the trial.
demonstrate against
What are they demonstrating against?
4 [transitive] to show that you have a particular ability, quality, or feeling:
He has demonstrated an ability to meet deadlines.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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