Word.ws English Dictionary

the proof is in the pudding

the proof is in the pudding is the alternative form of the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Meaning of the proof of the pudding is in the eating

Proverb

the proof of the pudding is in the eating

  1. One can only claim that something is a success after it has been tried out or used.
    • I know you didn't think it was a very good product, but just look at the fantastic sales figures. That's the proof of the pudding.

Origin of the proof is in the pudding

This phrase is a shortened form of the proof of the pudding is in the eating (14th century). The shorter version, which misses the point of the original meaning, is found in an issue in 1867 of the British Farmer's Magazine, came into common use in the United States in the 1950s, and is becoming increasingly common.

Questions about the proof is in the pudding

What is the proof is in the pudding the alternative form of?
The proof is in the pudding is the alternative form of the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Words near the proof is in the pudding in the dictionary

  1. The Pocket
  2. The Ponds
  3. the poop out of
  4. the poor we will always have with us
  5. the proof is in the eating
  6. the proof is in the pudding
  7. the proof of the pudding is in the eating
  8. the proverbial dog that caught the car
  9. the purpose of a system is what it does
  10. the quality
  11. the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: the proof is in the pudding (page history and authors); the proof of the pudding is in the eating (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “the proof is in the pudding.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/the_proof_is_in_the_pudding. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.