refute

verb re·fute \ ri-ˈfyüt \

Definition of refute

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

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refutable

play \-ˈfyü-tə-bəl\ adjective

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refutably

play \-blē\ adverb

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refuter

noun

See refute defined for English-language learners

See refute defined for kids

Examples of refute in a Sentence

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 of refute from the Web

Updated: Kelly’s camp refuted the claims just after midnight on Tuesday.

— halle kiefer, The Cut, "A New Accuser Alleges R. Kelly Paid Her to Conceal Their Sexual Relationship Which Began When She Was a Minor," 22 Aug. 2017
Buncich took the stand during the ninth day of trial, refuting allegations of corruption.

— craig lyons, Post-Tribune, "In Day 9 of trial, Lake County Sheriff Buncich takes stand, denies wrongdoing in corruption case," 17 Aug. 2017
In a statement, the company said it was committed to high standards but didn’t refute the guard’s claim about the staffing levels.

— david gambacorta, Philly.com, "Dead bodies and billions in tax dollars: The secret, profitable world of private prisons," 17 Aug. 2017
That refutes a major State Department human trafficking report released in June that applauded the Mideast nation for taking steps to limit their presence.

— jon gambrell, The Seattle Times, "Kuwait says North Korean workers welcome then refutes itself," 10 Aug. 2017
In response, the president has repeatedly sought to cast doubt on whether or not Russia meddled at all, and has thus attempted to single-handedly refute, without evidence, the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies.

— chas danner, Daily Intelligencer, "White House Says Trump Will Sign Russia Sanctions Bill, Avoiding Veto Fight With Congress," 29 July 2017
Interim President Greg Postel, who led the lease negotiations, refuted a report that Jurich was in the dark about the lease negotiations and did not learn of the new deal's details until Wednesday night.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "U of L approves new KFC Yum Center lease, but not without frustration," 20 July 2017
Both claims have been conclusively refuted by medical science.

— michael hiltzik, chicagotribune.com, "Trump makes good on a threat to kill teen pregnancy prevention programs," 19 July 2017
Truitt said testimony about the sheriff's job duties and character is needed to refute allegations of corruption made by prosecutors.

— craig lyons, Post-Tribune, "Buncich attorney: Towing 'least of the sheriff's concerns'," 18 July 2017

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