Proof or Ban

Commonly used in r/WallStreetBets, a subreddit most commonly known for gambling in the stock market, “Proof or Ban” is used in response to someone who posts about a stock trade or stock position they have entered into but has provided zero proof of them being in that trade. If the user does not provide proof, they get banned from the subreddit forever.

It’s similar to the expression of “Put up or Shut Up”

Can also be used in other contexts outside of the subreddit or stocks in general. However it will work best in group chats with friends.

Friend 1: “Bro. You remember Sally? She was that super hot chick we met at the bar a couple weeks ago.

Friend 2: “Yeah, what about her?”

Friend 1: “You’ll never believe it bro, but she just sent me an Instagram dm saying that she would totally let me pipe and that I was the sexiest guy she had ever seen.”

Friend 2: “Bro you’re totally right. I don’t believe it at all. Proof or ban.”

by John “Regarded” Snow December 22, 2023

proof wear

To provide information for a cause.

I have proof wear

by Abcvd January 6, 2024

Proof by lack of evidence

The proof by lack of evidence fallacy is claiming something is true simply because nobody has yet given any evidence to the contrary.

Torturer: You are a heretic! You can't prove that you aren't one, so you are a heratic. Confess, or we will stretch your body out until you are a foot taller.

Accused: Ha, you did it - you committed the proof by lack of evidence fallacy!

Torturer: That's enough out of you. Brutus, give the wheel another turn.

by DonutLoverr May 28, 2024

Proof is a proof

A botched attempt by former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien in late 2002, demanding evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

"Well, I don't know ... a proof is a proof. What kind of a proof? It's a proof. A proof is a proof, and when you have a good proof, it's because it's been proven."

by BlastFurnace February 17, 2024

proof day

April 11th is Proof Day, to honor the life of Deshaun "Proof" Holton.

paul: it's proof day, so lets pour one out for the homie, proof

by dajinco December 6, 2024

Proofshitpost

The aggressive, bad-faith demand for impossible or irrelevant levels of formal proof ("peer-reviewed studies only") to discredit an opponent's lived experience or a well-established social fact. The goal isn't to get proof, but to move the goalposts indefinitely, knowing the demand can't be met in the context, thereby declaring victory by default.

Proofshitpost Example: When presented with statistics and personal testimonies about systemic racism, a responder says, "I'll need a double-blind, controlled study where identical twins of different races apply for the same jobs, or this is just correlation. Until then, I don't believe you." This is proofshitposting—using an inappropriate standard of "proof" from hard science to invalidate social reality and halt discourse.

by Dumuabzu February 8, 2026

Proofpost

A specific, rigid standard of evidence that an arguer plants in the ground as the only acceptable form of validation for a claim. Unlike a simple goalpost, a proofpost is defined by its fetishization of a particular, often hyper-formal, type of proof—like demanding a peer-reviewed longitudinal study to acknowledge an anecdotal experience. It’s the initial, unreasonable demand for a specific kind of evidence that the opponent is unlikely to provide.

Proofpost Example: In a discussion about the emotional toll of gig work, someone states, “I’ll only accept proof in the form of a randomized control trial showing a causal link between app-based driving and clinical depression. Personal stories are just noise.” They’ve set a proofpost—an almost impossibly high and inappropriate bar—designed to invalidate the conversation from the start.

by Dumuabzu February 8, 2026