seek further confirmation

/siːk ˈfɜːðə ˌkɒnfəˈmeɪʃn/

verb phrase

  1. to try to obtain additional proof or evidence that something is true before acting on it or accepting it

    B2

    formal; transitive; seek + object (no preposition before the object); often followed by 'from + person/source'; irregular verb: seek, sought, soughtformal

    • "Please seek further confirmation before you make the payment."B1
    • "The police are seeking further confirmation of the story from independent witnesses."B2
    • "Rather than act on a single unverified report, the committee chose to seek further confirmation from several sources."C1

  2. to look for extra reassurance or support for a belief one already holds

    C1

    often followed by 'from someone' or 'that + clause'formal

    • "She asked her teacher again, seeking further confirmation that her answer was correct."B2
    • "He kept seeking further confirmation from his colleagues, as if he did not trust his own judgement."C1

Common mistakes

  • We need to seek for further confirmation.→We need to seek further confirmation.

    'Seek' takes a direct object; do not add 'for' before the thing you are looking for (compare 'look for').

  • They sought further confirm of the results.→They sought further confirmation of the results.

    The noun is 'confirmation', not 'confirm'.

Collocations

seek confirmationfurther confirmationindependent confirmationseek clarificationawait confirmation

Word family

seeksoughtconfirmationconfirmconfirmedunconfirmed