to prove oneself
1
4.8
- phrasal verb
- /pruv wʌnˈsɛlf/
- And you always have to prove yourself.
Examples
-
My mother would tell me that I did not have to prove myself; my work would speak for itself.
Academic text (2008) -
You've proven yourself, so we're admitting you into Onda.
-
I always felt like you had to prove yourself far and away more than others.
Academic text (2005) -
Steve was one of those people who believed you had to prove yourself all the time against the competition.
Fiction book (1994) -
My only hope is to prove myself worthy of the honor.
-
Each of the first three entries requires you to prove yourself in a different area of teaching.
Academic text (2004) -
I have no obligation to prove myself to you or anyone else on this site.
Blog text (21) -
However, I am certain my daughters will prove themselves worthy.
-
In a mostly male-dominated field, she had to prove herself by outworking everyone else.
Blog text (5) -
After years of working hard, he finally had the opportunity to prove himself in the tournament.
Antonyms
How Capable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to show that one is capable...' is directly compositional from 'prove' (to demonstrate/test) plus the reflexive 'oneself', which signals that the demonstration is directed at the subject. This verb+reflexive pattern is common and predictable cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrase prove oneself comes from a simple image: a person must prove oneself by doing a hard task in front of others to show their ability. So, prove oneself means 'to show you are capable, skilled, or brave' by meeting a challenge.