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
Data shows 81% of those counted first experienced homelessness locally, debunking migration myths.
—
Mahdi E Diab, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2025
Undeterred, Lindell has continued to push preposterous and thoroughly debunked claims about the election.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 20 June 2025
Jillian Michaels debunks popular weight-loss myth Celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss America's obesity problem being linked to carbs and the push to eliminate junk food from food stamp benefits.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2025
Similarly, Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. has long clung to debunked theories linking vaccines to autism, a claim repeatedly disproven by large-scale studies.
—Robert Pearl, Twin Cities, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for debunk
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Mahdi E Diab, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2025
Undeterred, Lindell has continued to push preposterous and thoroughly debunked claims about the election.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 20 June 2025
Jillian Michaels debunks popular weight-loss myth Celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss America's obesity problem being linked to carbs and the push to eliminate junk food from food stamp benefits.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2025
Similarly, Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. has long clung to debunked theories linking vaccines to autism, a claim repeatedly disproven by large-scale studies.
—Robert Pearl, Twin Cities, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for debunk
Cite this Entry
“Debunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debunk. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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