refuted; refuting
Synonyms
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.
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 on the Web
Musk rushed to refute the story in a post on his social media site, X, which erased roughly half the decline but still left it as the heaviest weight on the S&P 500 for the session.
—Esha Day, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024
In a speech punctuated by three standing ovations, Israel Bachar, the country's counsel general for the Pacific Southwest, refuted reports of starvation in Gaza and rebuffed calls for a ceasefire unless Hamas meets certain conditions.
—Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 3 Apr. 2024
Issues surrounding nascent human life bring out the worst in our journalistic class, and no publication has a better record of refuting the myths than National Review.
—Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, 21 Mar. 2024
Hermès is likely to claim that its tactics were done to preserve brand loyalty in a competitive market, and the plaintiffs will have to refute this, Bartholomew said.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
Clinton’s politics, her path, her bearing, her wardrobe, her haircut — these character details could be mirrored or mocked or refuted onscreen, but they could not be ignored.
—Amanda Hess, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
In the immediate aftermath on Oscar night, social media users took aim at Glazer’s words, misinterpreting his statement as refuting Jewishness itself, rather than the hijacking of Jewishness.
—Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
Joy refuted Jones' allegations in a new series of Instagram Stories and posts on Thursday.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024
In a tightly wound, entendre-replete, machine gun verse, Lamar fired back by refuting the designation and setting himself apart from his peers and former collaborators.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 25 Mar. 2024
Esha Day, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024
In a speech punctuated by three standing ovations, Israel Bachar, the country's counsel general for the Pacific Southwest, refuted reports of starvation in Gaza and rebuffed calls for a ceasefire unless Hamas meets certain conditions.
—Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 3 Apr. 2024
Issues surrounding nascent human life bring out the worst in our journalistic class, and no publication has a better record of refuting the myths than National Review.
—Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, 21 Mar. 2024
Hermès is likely to claim that its tactics were done to preserve brand loyalty in a competitive market, and the plaintiffs will have to refute this, Bartholomew said.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
Clinton’s politics, her path, her bearing, her wardrobe, her haircut — these character details could be mirrored or mocked or refuted onscreen, but they could not be ignored.
—Amanda Hess, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
In the immediate aftermath on Oscar night, social media users took aim at Glazer’s words, misinterpreting his statement as refuting Jewishness itself, rather than the hijacking of Jewishness.
—Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
Joy refuted Jones' allegations in a new series of Instagram Stories and posts on Thursday.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024
In a tightly wound, entendre-replete, machine gun verse, Lamar fired back by refuting the designation and setting himself apart from his peers and former collaborators.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'refute.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near refute
Cite this Entry
“Refute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refute. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
refute
verb
re·fute
ri-ˈfyüt 
refuted; refuting
: to prove wrong by argument or evidence : show to be false
refute the testimony of a witness
refuter
noun
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