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
According to the Department of Industrial Relations, the violations were issued without proper internal documentation, failed to consider materials previously submitted by the company refuting the violations, and should not have been sent.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025
In November 2020, officials across the United States refuted his allegations.
—Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
In an email to Pitchfork, MOT’s Lucien Calkin refuted Clateman’s account and said there was no punch.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2025
Lean also refuted claims that bipolar disorder stifles creativity.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
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Preston Fore, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025
In November 2020, officials across the United States refuted his allegations.
—Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
In an email to Pitchfork, MOT’s Lucien Calkin refuted Clateman’s account and said there was no punch.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2025
Lean also refuted claims that bipolar disorder stifles creativity.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025
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 Nov. 2025.
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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