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
No Tech for Apartheid has refuted these statements.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
Comedian Rob Schneider is refuting a news item that appeared on Politico’s website this week stating that his stand-up set at a GOP event in late 2023 was cut short when his jokes were deemed too lewd for the conservative crowd.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
Alito also did not disclose the trip, but refuted that it should have been reported, also citing exceptions for personal hospitality.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024
Interviews with other friends of Stern's, however, painted a different picture -- refuting the idea that Stern would just leave or take her own life.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2024
Investigating the Michael Jackson Documentary to refute allegations of abuse against Michael in the HBO film Leaving Neverland.
—Haley Van Horn, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
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
Chloe Berger, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
Comedian Rob Schneider is refuting a news item that appeared on Politico’s website this week stating that his stand-up set at a GOP event in late 2023 was cut short when his jokes were deemed too lewd for the conservative crowd.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
Alito also did not disclose the trip, but refuted that it should have been reported, also citing exceptions for personal hospitality.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024
Interviews with other friends of Stern's, however, painted a different picture -- refuting the idea that Stern would just leave or take her own life.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2024
Investigating the Michael Jackson Documentary to refute allegations of abuse against Michael in the HBO film Leaving Neverland.
—Haley Van Horn, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
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
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 26 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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