refuted; refuting
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
The Whitney Houston estate is refuting Oprah Winfrey recalling that the late singer was high and fell off the stage during an appearance on her talk show.
—
Marc Malkin,
Variety,
24 June 2026
Though then-Bucks coach Doc Rivers refuted that report, Antetokounmpo acknowledged that the offseason was a time when temptation could be very real for him.
—
Eric Nehm,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
Two other retired judges later published their own piece refuting Gilliard’s contention.
—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
14 June 2026
Fortunately, video replay allows people to validate—or refute—a referee’s decision.
—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
13 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for refute
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Marc Malkin,
Variety,
24 June 2026
Though then-Bucks coach Doc Rivers refuted that report, Antetokounmpo acknowledged that the offseason was a time when temptation could be very real for him.
—
Eric Nehm,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
Two other retired judges later published their own piece refuting Gilliard’s contention.
—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
14 June 2026
Fortunately, video replay allows people to validate—or refute—a referee’s decision.
—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
13 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 28 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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