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
Health experts and medical organizations are refuting claims of a link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 25 Sep. 2025
Further, research has not deeply examined Tylenol risks in young children, and many rigorous studies refute a link between vaccines and autism.
—Amy Maxmen, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2025
The debunked claim that vaccines are tied to autism stems from a 1998 study by British gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield in The Lancet, which has since been refuted by numerous studies.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Swift’s lawyer refuted the claim.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
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Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 25 Sep. 2025
Further, research has not deeply examined Tylenol risks in young children, and many rigorous studies refute a link between vaccines and autism.
—Amy Maxmen, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2025
The debunked claim that vaccines are tied to autism stems from a 1998 study by British gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield in The Lancet, which has since been refuted by numerous studies.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Swift’s lawyer refuted the claim.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 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 30 Sep. 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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