How to Use provenance in a Sentence

provenance

noun
Definition of provenancenext
  • Throughout the art world, the provenance of certain pieces is always top of mind.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 22 Aug. 2023
  • But the provenance of some of the more alarmist Biden-is-feeble memes, many of them built on raw footage of a few stumbles, is murky.
    — Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2024
  • In the wider scope of history, the ponytail’s precise provenance is a bit hazy.
    — Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 27 June 2023
  • The agreement comes just months after the Met announced a push to hire more provenance researchers.
    — Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Sep. 2023
  • The fact that most come via the resale market—and have murky provenance as a result—makes Waller even warier.
    — Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2024
  • Yet there are no plaques or requests in the museum on the provenance of art stolen from Benin, a country in West Africa.
    — Jessica Ferri, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2023
  • For the metal wall sculpture, the lack of provenance greatly lowers the value.
    — oregonlive, 31 May 2022
  • But it’s the fiber’s provenance that makes this shirt (and all of Free Fly’s apparel) sustainable.
    — Rachel Walker, Washington Post, 14 July 2022
  • The provenance research is to be published on the foundation’s website.
    — Catherine Hickley, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2023
  • Hubris is still the provenance of the arrogant assumption.
    — Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2024
  • Save the provenance to pass along to family, with any other items from his service!
    — Brenda Yenke, cleveland, 10 Aug. 2023
  • The name nods to the leading theory of its provenance: Sonora, the Mexican state just across the border.
    — J. J. Goode, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2023
  • Its provenance and journey from the desert to Montana six decades ago and now to Jerusalem remain nebulous.
    — Ilan Ben Zion, ajc, 7 Sep. 2022
  • Sharing the crown is a car with a motorsport provenance that few others can compete with.
    — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2023
  • The thefts have led libraries to boost security and put dealers on high alert about the provenance of Russian books.
    — Rachel Donadio, New York Times, 1 May 2024
  • There were other questions aside from the mural’s provenance.
    — Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024
  • Indeed, the provenance of the fake documents remains a mystery.
    — Lauren Kaori Gurley, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2023
  • The New York Times was unable to verify the provenance of the weapons and equipment in the images or assess the claim of the command center’s existence.
    — Iyad Abuheweila, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023
  • The comments offered some of the first details of the provenance of the weapon used in the shooting that killed at least six people and injured more than two dozen others in the north suburb.
    — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2022
  • For instance, the provenance of a skull listed as belonging to a Sioux chief named White Cloud was in doubt, said Friess, who has researched the case further.
    — Constant Méheut, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2022
  • Since the vats were never emptied completely, there’s some pretty old rum in the blend, of unknown provenance.
    — Tony Sachs, Robb Report, 18 Jan. 2023
  • The name and provenance of Tyrian purple were inventions of the Romans.
    — Franz Lidz, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024
  • Since the vats were never emptied completely, there’s some pretty old rum in the blend, of unknown provenance.
    — Tony Sachs, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2024
  • The military had not been able to disprove the journalists’ photos, nor discern the disk’s provenance.
    — Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2023
  • The provenance of each item is described in (often hilarious) detail on the EBTH site.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 26 July 2023
  • While the artists featured — as well as the chef, Pavlos Kiriakis — are Greek, the food on offer has no particular provenance.
    — Jinnie Lee Kurt Soller Caitie Kelly Gisela Williams Roxanne Fequiere Elissa Suh, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2024
  • The right provenance can make for an exciting surprise in the collectors’ market.
    — Jill Newman, Robb Report, 18 Nov. 2023
  • Like its peers, it’s sometimes embroiled in scandals over the provenance of its artifacts.
    — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 30 Nov. 2022
  • The return is the result of more thorough provenance research within the museum’s holdings, the museum said in a statement.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 18 June 2024
  • Aura promotes the use of a single blockchain solution open to all luxury brands worldwide to help consumers trace the provenance and authenticity of luxury goods.
    — Luisa Zargani, WWD, 1 July 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'provenance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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