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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of refute
That same year, Patricia Richardson refuted the possibility of returning to the characters while appearing on the Back to the Best podcast.
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Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein did little to refute real-life romance speculation while showing off their on-screen chemistry in Office Romance.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 9 June 2026
California officials, including Secretary of State Shirley Weber, have repeatedly refuted claims of fraud and, in fact, have defended the state’s slower process as critical to ensuring the counts are accurate.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 9 June 2026
At trial, defense lawyer Bob Varga refuted the accusation, noting there was no bodycam footage of the incident.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for refute
Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein did little to refute real-life romance speculation while showing off their on-screen chemistry in Office Romance.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 9 June 2026
California officials, including Secretary of State Shirley Weber, have repeatedly refuted claims of fraud and, in fact, have defended the state’s slower process as critical to ensuring the counts are accurate.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 9 June 2026
At trial, defense lawyer Bob Varga refuted the accusation, noting there was no bodycam footage of the incident.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for refute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refute
Verb
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Beijing broadly denies providing weapons to countries in conflict.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
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Achraf Hakimi, Morocco’s superstar captain, was denied by Gunn after receiving a similar entry pass from Diaz, then zipped a shot from outside the box straight at the Scotland keeper.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
20 June 2026
Verb
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Instead, they are encouraged to view blue zones primarily through the lens of a sloppy critique that has already been discredited.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
20 June 2026
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This doesn’t discredit the fact that mental and physical changes from menopause can be disorienting and jarring.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez rejected those motions.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
23 June 2026
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Goldman has drawn criticism for refusing to reject support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
Verb
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Consciousness is uniquely and notoriously challenging to define, much less to conclusively affirm or disprove the presence of.—
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
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Florida has spent six years quietly disproving all of them.—
Christopher Carita,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 June 2026
Verb
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The group also took time to contradict claims from AV makers like Tesla, which often rely on a 2019 NHTSA study finding that 94 percent of car accidents are due to human error in order to suggest that AVs will make roads safer.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
22 June 2026
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The foreign ministry and the Guards have been noted to have different interests throughout the conflict, sometimes contradicting each other.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
20 June 2026
Verb
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At least some of Mahajan's family managed to jump out safely, but Mahajan was still inside when the carriage clipped another horse carriage and overturned.—
Katie Houlis,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
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As of mid-June, no state insurance AI rule has been challenged in court, let alone overturned.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Verb
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Paxton and Texas Tech will have the opportunity to try to rebut the Big 12’s arguments.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 June 2026
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Such interventions were rebutted by Dal Babu, a former chief superintendent of London’s Metropolitan Police.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
Verb
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In discussing the matter, Hahn also called for the county to look into establishing an emergency stockpile of air purifiers and other critical supplies to better prepare for future disasters.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2026
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Without discussing too much in detail, councilmembers raised several potential alternatives during the meeting, including parking garage subsidies, downtown employee waivers and a comprehensive citywide review of parking programs.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
24 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Refute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refute. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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