proof of concept

noun

plural proofs of concept
: something that demonstrates the feasibility of a concept (such as a product idea or a business plan)
Even if it succeeds, the $5.9 billion reactor will be just a proof of concept, with commercial fusion power still decades away.Corey S. Powell
Malware and virus-writing used to be something hobbyist hackers did for fun, as proofs of concept. Not anymore.Mat Honan
often hyphenated when used before another noun
No invention is worth anything without the proof-of-concept prototype.Shintaro Osano
proof-of-concept experiments funded with public money and years away from any commercial application, were sponsored by university biology departments.Andrew Curry

Examples of proof of concept in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Having used a $2.9 million grant from ARPA-E to demonstrate proof of concept, Limelight is now planning a pilot-scale plant in 2025 capable of producing 100 tons annually. Andrew Rosenblum, Popular Science, 26 Dec. 2024 Published in August, the AI Scientist work represents a compelling proof of concept that AI systems can indeed carry out AI research entirely autonomously. Rob Toews, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024 That move may have seemed odd considering Pacioretty-Tavares-Nylander’s proof of concept, but that group had been out-attempted 9-1 in the first. Nick Ashbourne, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024 For example, a small business developing a fleet management system could use the Qualcomm RB3 Gen2 kit to build a proof of concept for smart dashcams capable of processing data locally, providing immediate feedback on road conditions, driver behavior, and vehicle health. IEEE Spectrum, 19 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for proof of concept 

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of proof of concept was in 1967

Dictionary Entries Near proof of concept

Cite this Entry

“Proof of concept.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proof%20of%20concept. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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