rebut

verb

re·​but ri-ˈbət 

rebutted; rebutting

transitive verb

1

: to drive or beat back : repel

2

a

: to contradict or oppose by formal legal argument, plea, or countervailing proof

b

: to expose the falsity of : refute

intransitive verb

: to make or furnish an answer or counter proof

rebuttable

ri-ˈbə-tə-bəl 

adjective

Did you know?

The -but in rebut once meant basically "butt", so rebut's original meanings were "to drive or beat back" and "to attack with violent language". Rebuttals can still be rather violent, as anyone who has watched some heated moments in a presidential debate can testify. The word is often used by lawyers, since the lawyer for the accused or for the party being sued almost always tries to rebut the charges against his or her client; but it's also used in plenty of contexts outside the courtroom.

Synonyms

• beat off
• fend (off)
• repel
• repulse
• stave off
• turn away
• turn back

Examples of rebut in a Sentence

Her lawyer attempted to rebut the witness's testimony.

Stalingrad's defenders were finally able to rebut the besiegers, but only after a horrendous loss of life.

Recent Examples on the Web

Her ruling came over the strong objection of prosecutors, who hired their own expert to rebut the study conducted by Edelman. —Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 8 Sep. 2023

India, which is not aligned in the war, did not invite Ukraine, despite a request from U.S. officials who argued that Ukrainian officials should have the ability at the forum to rebut Russia's narrative about the war. —USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2023

The medical examiner tested crime scene evidence at the time and found Mack was not a match, but prosecutors didn't present this information at trial and instead rebutted the findings and cast doubt upon them, the Innocence Project said. —Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 5 Sep. 2023

Last week, after an Economist article questioned the independence of anti-graft probes by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, Singapore’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Lim Thuan Kuan furiously rebutted the magazine’s claims in a public letter to its editor. —Time, 2 Aug. 2023

As new stories continued to publish, U.S. officials began to rebut the claim. —Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, 24 July 2023

Trujillo’s attorney, however, rebutted by saying there was no evidence that Cordero and Trujillo had met through the app, the New Mexican reported. —Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 30 Aug. 2023

Trump had planned a Monday news conference to rebut allegations in the Georgia case. —Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 18 Aug. 2023

Advertisement Montgomery schools’ attorneys rebutted that the supplemental curriculum encroached on anyone’s religious freedoms. —Nicole Asbury, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French reboter, from re- + boter to butt — more at butt entry 3

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

rebut

verb

re·​but ri-ˈbət 

rebutted; rebutting

1

: to oppose by argument

2

: to prove to be wrong especially by argument or by proof that the opposite is true

Legal Definition

rebut

transitive verb

re·​but ri-ˈbət 

rebutted; rebutting

: to refute, counteract, or disprove (as opposing evidence) by evidence or argument

rebut damaging testimony

rebut a presumption

rebuttable adjective

rebuttably adverb

Etymology

Anglo-French reboter rebuter to answer a charge, bar from an action, literally, to repulse, rebuff, from Old French reboter, from re- back + boter to push, butt