repudiate
verb
re·pu·di·ate
ri-ˈpyü-dē-ˌāt 
repudiated; repudiating
1
a
: to refuse to accept
especially
: to reject as unauthorized or as having no binding force
repudiate a contract
repudiate a will
b
: to reject as untrue or unjust
repudiate a charge
2
: to refuse to acknowledge or pay
repudiate a debt
3
: to refuse to have anything to do with : disown
repudiate a cause
… unless they repudiated the failed policies of the past and took decisive action, the party might fracture or lose its hold on the electorate.—
Walter A. McDougall
Walter A. McDougall4
dated
: to divorce or separate formally from (a woman to whom one is betrothed or married)
"The incident was witnessed by … the Marquess Zanipolo, who, in consequence, has already repudiated his unhappy bride."—Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton
Did you know?
In Latin, the noun repudium refers to the rejection of a spouse or prospective spouse, and the related verb repudiare means "to divorce" or "to reject." In the 16th century, English speakers borrowed repudiare to create the English verb repudiate, which they used as a synonym of divorce when in reference to a wife and as a synonym of disown when in reference to a member of one's family. They also used the word more generally in the sense of "to reject or cast off." By the 18th century repudiate had also come to be used for the rejection of things that one does not accept as true or just, ranging from opinions and accusations to contracts and debts.
Examples of repudiate in a Sentence
During the Algerian war of independence, the United States had also repudiated France's claimed right to attack a town in neighboring Tunisia that succored Algerian guerrillas …
—Christopher Hitchens, Harper's, February 2001
When witnessing abuse, boys will identify with the seemingly powerful father who appears to be a "winner" and will repudiate the mother, who seems to be the "loser."
—Constance Adler, Shape, September 1993
While a wife could divorce her husband only for good reason … a husband could repudiate his wife without giving any reason …
—Albert Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples, 1991
Voters in Myanmar … appeared today to have sharply repudiated their military rulers and to have given a landslide victory to the main opposition party …
—Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 29 May 1990
Photographs, the most ubiquitous emblem of mass culture, found an obvious place in Pop Art, and were embraced by those intent on repudiating the preciosity of action painting.
—Naomi Rosenblum, A World History of Photography, 1989
Three weeks after the agreement was made and before any specifications were submitted, the buyer repudiated the agreement.
—John D. Calamari and Joseph M. Perillo, The Law of Contracts, 1987
a generation that has repudiated the values of the past
He has publicly repudiated the government's policies.
He published an article that repudiates the study's claims.
She says she has evidence which repudiates the allegations.
Christopher Hitchens, Harper's, February 2001
When witnessing abuse, boys will identify with the seemingly powerful father who appears to be a "winner" and will repudiate the mother, who seems to be the "loser."
—Constance Adler, Shape, September 1993
While a wife could divorce her husband only for good reason … a husband could repudiate his wife without giving any reason …
—Albert Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples, 1991
Voters in Myanmar … appeared today to have sharply repudiated their military rulers and to have given a landslide victory to the main opposition party …
—Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 29 May 1990
Photographs, the most ubiquitous emblem of mass culture, found an obvious place in Pop Art, and were embraced by those intent on repudiating the preciosity of action painting.
—Naomi Rosenblum, A World History of Photography, 1989
Three weeks after the agreement was made and before any specifications were submitted, the buyer repudiated the agreement.
—John D. Calamari and Joseph M. Perillo, The Law of Contracts, 1987
a generation that has repudiated the values of the past
He has publicly repudiated the government's policies.
He published an article that repudiates the study's claims.
She says she has evidence which repudiates the allegations.
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2016, Trump pledged to renegotiate the treaty, but broke that promise by simply repudiating it.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 June 2025
The actions of the Administration to reject potential grantees for political reasons and to cut the budget to a small fraction repudiate these values.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
This ideology, called Hindutva, was repudiated and marginalized by the country’s founders.
—Ashley J. Tellis, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2025
As far back as August, his predecessor, Gov. Mike Parson, urged the Royals to pick a stadium site after Jackson County voters in the April 2024 vote repudiated a plan for a Crossroads ballpark.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for repudiate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 June 2025
The actions of the Administration to reject potential grantees for political reasons and to cut the budget to a small fraction repudiate these values.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
This ideology, called Hindutva, was repudiated and marginalized by the country’s founders.
—Ashley J. Tellis, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2025
As far back as August, his predecessor, Gov. Mike Parson, urged the Royals to pick a stadium site after Jackson County voters in the April 2024 vote repudiated a plan for a Crossroads ballpark.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for repudiate
Cite this Entry
“Repudiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repudiate. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
repudiate
verb
re·pu·di·ate
ri-ˈpyüd-ē-ˌāt
repudiated; repudiating
1
: to refuse to have anything to do with
2
: to refuse to accept or pay
repudiate a debt
repudiation
noun
-ˌpyüd-ē-ˈā-shən
Legal Definition
repudiate
transitive verb
re·pu·di·ate
ri-ˈpyü-dē-ˌāt
repudiated; repudiating
: to disavow or reject an obligation (as a debt) or duty (as performance under a contract)
specifically
: to indicate an inability or unwillingness to perform as promised under (a contract)
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