refuted; refuting
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
Examples of refute in a Sentence
Verb
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
Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 13 June 2026
After her daughter's murder, Franchetti began a grassroots movement to rewrite family court law, but the legislation was held up by legal language that might have greenlighted hearsay allegations or the potential for false claims that couldn't be refuted.
—Jennifer McLogan, CBS News, 12 June 2026
Tellingly, the company didn’t refute any of the claims made in Republik‘s reporting, but rather weaponized a Swiss legal statute alleging the magazine didn’t give the company’s response enough space.
—Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 11 June 2026
That same year, Patricia Richardson refuted the possibility of returning to the characters while appearing on the Back to the Best podcast.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for refute
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Verb
Fortunately, video replay allows people to validate—or refute—a referee’s decision.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 13 June 2026
After her daughter's murder, Franchetti began a grassroots movement to rewrite family court law, but the legislation was held up by legal language that might have greenlighted hearsay allegations or the potential for false claims that couldn't be refuted.
—Jennifer McLogan, CBS News, 12 June 2026
Tellingly, the company didn’t refute any of the claims made in Republik‘s reporting, but rather weaponized a Swiss legal statute alleging the magazine didn’t give the company’s response enough space.
—Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 11 June 2026
That same year, Patricia Richardson refuted the possibility of returning to the characters while appearing on the Back to the Best podcast.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for refute
Cite this Entry
“Refute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refute. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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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