1
as in to refute
to prove to be false
a Web site that assiduously debunks urban legends
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to expose
to reveal the true nature of
the investigative reporter easily debunked the charlatan's claims of clairvoyance
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of debunk
Swift and Kelce were rumored to be tying the knot at Rhode Island's Ocean House on June 13, though a wedding planner recently debunked the theory.
—
Hannah Malach, InStyle, 9 Apr. 2026
Fox debunked the reports and offered a number of apt reactions to learning about one’s own death.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Kennedy co-founded the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, and has linked vaccines to autism, a theory long debunked by scientific research.
—Mariam Sunny, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
His claims of widespread voter fraud — particularly involving mail voting — have been repeatedly debunked, and his administration has continued to prioritize the issue.
—Faith Bugenhagen, Austin American Statesman, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debunk
Hannah Malach, InStyle, 9 Apr. 2026
Fox debunked the reports and offered a number of apt reactions to learning about one’s own death.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Kennedy co-founded the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, and has linked vaccines to autism, a theory long debunked by scientific research.
—Mariam Sunny, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
His claims of widespread voter fraud — particularly involving mail voting — have been repeatedly debunked, and his administration has continued to prioritize the issue.
—Faith Bugenhagen, Austin American Statesman, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debunk
Verb
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Hours after the Royals’ loss on Saturday, Perez refuted Quatraro’s reason for the day off.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
19 Apr. 2026
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But international soccer's governing body has refuted those reports, responding directly to tweets from its media X account.—
Peter Warren,
Houston Chronicle,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The bottom involved a voluminous tea-length skirt, which exposed Hathaway's matching open-toe heels.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
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Then the Earthquakes, second place in the Western Conference, added to their club-record start to a season by exposing a fatigued Black & Gold side that was third in the west coming into the contest.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But Lucas, known for making false confessions, later retracted his claim, and other evidence disproved his connection to the murder.—
JACK BROOK,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
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York is told that Somerset is imprisoned in the Tower of London, but when this is disproved by Somerset’s entrance, York announces his claim to the kingship.—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Schneider gave a shout-out to his scouting staff for doing the work to uncover the type of personalities the Seahawks would be acquiring.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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After the film was shot, producers uncovered a clause in the settlement with the accuser that barred the depiction or mention of them in film or TV projects.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Robert Brulle, a visiting professor at Brown University who studies fossil fuel lobbying, said ExxonMobil led efforts to discredit climate science that successfully impeded government intervention.—
Alex Kuffner,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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New science and forensics have since discredited the expert’s conclusion, prompting Gurley to throw out the convictions and order a new trial.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debunk. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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