1
as in to deny
to declare not to be true
while he was publicly refuting rumors of a merger, behind the scenes the CEO was working to effect that very outcome
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to discredit
to prove to be false
the victories of African-American athlete Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympics effectively refuted the racial views of the Nazis
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of refute
The appellate court's decision refuted multiple issues with Avery's arguments.
—
Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
An annual spectacle to refute our constant erasure, whether intended or committed in ignorance, from the zeitgeist.
—Rodney Carmichael, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
Health experts and medical organizations are refuting claims of a link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 25 Sep. 2025
Further, research has not deeply examined Tylenol risks in young children, and many rigorous studies refute a link between vaccines and autism.
—Amy Maxmen, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
An annual spectacle to refute our constant erasure, whether intended or committed in ignorance, from the zeitgeist.
—Rodney Carmichael, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
Health experts and medical organizations are refuting claims of a link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 25 Sep. 2025
Further, research has not deeply examined Tylenol risks in young children, and many rigorous studies refute a link between vaccines and autism.
—Amy Maxmen, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refute
Verb
-
Republicans argue Democrats want to fund health care for immigrants in the country illegally, a claim Democrats deny.—
Todd Spangler,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Once there, she was assigned a bare mattress on the floor and denied religious accommodations, including Halal meals, her lawyers said.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Khan and his lawyers have contended that Netanyahu and his allies are exploiting a vulnerable woman in order to discredit the case against the Israeli leaders.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Felt, in classic Hoover fashion, then leaked information to discredit Gray, hoping to replace him.—
Douglas M. Charles,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The letter also called for the return of mandatory standardized testing in university admissions and for universities to report the anonymous scores and grades of accepted and rejected students.—
Helen Rummel,
AZCentral.com,
2 Oct. 2025
-
In a June ruling, a three-judge Kansas Court of Appeals panel rejected Kobach’s arguments in no uncertain terms.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Abramov points out that this does not disprove the Mars life explanation, but rather just presents an alternative, albeit much more probable, explanation for the evidence.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Lowell said records and correspondence easily disproved Pulte’s allegation.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The plan also contradicts the Prime Minister’s frequent claims that the Palestinian Authority will have no role in a postwar Gaza.—
Ruth Margalit,
New Yorker,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Why economists are still waiting on government data Sometimes non-government reports contradict one another, which makes the absence of BLS data a challenge, Flynn said.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Knox was convicted and served four years of a 26-year sentence in an Italian prison before the verdict was overturned.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Alito’s invocation of stare decisis is similarly peculiar, especially after authoring the opinion that overturned Roe.—
Samantha Riedel,
Them.,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Crenshaw wrote that the government now bears the burden of rebutting the presumption of vindictive prosecution.—
Evan Mealins,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
-
During public testimony, several residents rebutted the assertion that the church could not be renovated and said a greater effort needs to be made to restore the Holy Cross neighborhood's namesake.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The design software vendor's stocks climbed 7% after Altman discussed Figma's integration into ChatGPT, and showed how third-party applications could plug in with OpenAI's Apps software development framework.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
7 Oct. 2025
-
That particular topic is probably the most controversial topic in the world, but there's still a lot of editorial safeguards in place where people can discuss things.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refute. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share