rebut

verb

re·but | \ ri-ˈbət

rebutted; rebutting

Definition of rebut

transitive verb

1 : to drive or beat back : repel

2a : 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

Other Words from rebut Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about rebut

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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.

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

The prosecution rebutted the defense’s appeal by painting Elhassani as an unrepentant liar who had navigated a war zone, helped her husband buy three Yazidi slaves, and was creating a tale of woe after the fact. — Robin Wright, The New Yorker, "America’s ISIS Members Are Coming Home," 11 June 2019 Israel, which welcomed the American decision cut Unrwa aid, has long criticized the agency, accusing it of anti-Israel bias and of perpetuating Palestinian dependence, claims that agency officials have rebutted. — New York Times, "Head of U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees Warns of Cuts," 25 June 2018 Kevin Marino, an attorney for Mr. Levoff, said the lawyer would rebut the criminal charge and the SEC’s civil claims. — Tripp Mickle, WSJ, "Former Apple Lawyer Charged With Insider Trading," 13 Feb. 2019 National Review’s Ed Whelan, a prominent conservative legal theorist, has devoted a series of columns to rebutting attacks on Kavanaugh’s record from the right. — Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Kavanaugh Remains SCOTUS Front-runner Despite Right-Wing Backlash," 5 July 2018 Hendricks hates how that word undermines any use of wit or humor to rebut bad intentions. — August Brown, latimes.com, "L.A. rapper JPEGMAFIA lashes out at the right and the 'fake-woke' left. Just don't call it 'trolling'," 29 June 2018 The state has rebutted the nursing home’s claims, saying the home was responsible for keeping residents safe. — Jon Kamp, WSJ, "A Year After Hurricane Irma, Most Florida Nursing Homes Still Working on Emergency Power Plans," 7 Sep. 2018 Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leaders, have rebutted the president’s charges. — Linda Qiu, New York Times, "No, Democrats Don’t Want ‘Open Borders’," 27 June 2018 Typically lawmakers announcing new legislation don’t feel the need to simultaneously try to rebut anticipated claims that the bill is unconstitutional. — James Freeman, WSJ, "Elizabeth Warren’s Unconstitutional Wealth Tax," 25 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rebut.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.