refute

1 of 2

verb

re·​fute ri-ˈfyüt 

refuted; refuting

transitive verb

1

: to prove wrong by argument or evidence : show to be false or erroneous

2

: to deny the truth or accuracy of

refuted the allegations

refutable

ri-ˈfyü-tə-bəl 

adjective

refutably

ri-ˈfyü-tə-blē 

adverb

refuter noun

refuter

2 of 2

noun

re·​fut·​er

-ütə(r), 

-ütə-

plural -s

: one that refutes something

Synonyms of refute

Verb

• deny
• reject
• contradict

Examples of refute in a Sentence

Verb

But for every study that shows acid rain is damaging frogs, another one refutes it. —Emily Yoffe, New York Times Magazine, 13 Dec. 1992

And it violates the basic tenet of historical method: that the historian be alert to the negative instances that would refute his thesis and to alternative explanations that would be more plausible than his own. —Gertrude Himmelfarb, The New History and the Old, 1987

It is not necessary to refute such an argument point by point … —Denis Goulet, Center Magazine, May 1969

We refute these aspersions whether they come from our best friends or our worst foes. —Sir Winston Churchill, address in House of Commons, 18 Jan. 1945, in Nathan Aus, ed., Voices of History 1945–46,  1946

The lawyer refuted the testimony of the witness.

He refutes the notion that he's planning to retire soon.

She refuted the allegations against her.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

This timeline refutes the notion that classifying obesity as a disease is driven by commercial interests by drugmakers. — Torie Bosch, STAT, 18 July 2026

That would have dedicated more than a tenth of the NIH’s annual budget to investigating a hypothesis already refuted by scientists worldwide. — CNN Money, 16 July 2026

Many d This week, the department issued a follow-up statement refuting both of those claims. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

The distant thud of shelling punctuates the evening, refuting one guest’s optimism that the latest ceasefire agreement will endure. — Literary Hub, 14 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin refutare to check, suppress, refute

First Known Use

Verb

1545, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for refute

• acute
• aleut
• astute
• beetroot
• breadfruit
• cheroot
• commute
• compute
• confute
• dilute
• dispute
• elute

Kids Definition

refute

verb

re·​fute ri-ˈfyüt 

refuted; refuting

: to prove wrong by argument or evidence : show to be false

refute the testimony of a witness

refutable

-ˈfyüt-ə-bəl 

adjective

refuter noun