debunk
verb
de·bunk
(ˌ)dē-ˈbəŋk 
debunked; debunking; debunks
: to expose the sham (see sham entry 1 sense 2) or falseness of
debunk a legend
debunker
noun
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To debunk something is to take the bunk out of it—that bunk being nonsense. (Bunk is short for the synonymous bunkum, which has political origins.) Debunk has been in use since at least the 1920s, and it contrasts with synonyms like disprove and rebut by suggesting that something is not merely untrue but is also a sham—a trick meant to deceive. One can simply disprove a myth, but if it is debunked, the implication is that the myth was a grossly exaggerated or foolish claim.
Examples of debunk in a Sentence
The article debunks the notion that life exists on Mars.
The results of the study debunk his theory.
Recent Examples on the Web
It was often thought that Garcia played Tiger at his final show, before his death in August 1995, but that has recently been debunked.
—
Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2026
Fact-checkers intervened, this time to defend the authenticity of real footage, having debunked the fake imagery about a different school the day before.
—Mahsa Alimardani, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Davis debunked them all and proposed a fourth.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 13 Mar. 2026
In several instances, DHS statements about immigration arrests were later debunked by video footage and eyewitness accounts.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debunk
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Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2026
Fact-checkers intervened, this time to defend the authenticity of real footage, having debunked the fake imagery about a different school the day before.
—Mahsa Alimardani, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Davis debunked them all and proposed a fourth.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 13 Mar. 2026
In several instances, DHS statements about immigration arrests were later debunked by video footage and eyewitness accounts.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debunk
Cite this Entry
“Debunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debunk. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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