1
as in refuting
to prove to be false
a Web site that assiduously debunks urban legends
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in exposing
to reveal the true nature of
the investigative reporter easily debunked the charlatan's claims of clairvoyance
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of debunking
After stirring the pot on social media, Lisa Rinna is debunking the rumor that Colton Underwood stormed out of The Traitors reunion.
—
Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
Rudd's July appearance on the Take Off Your Shoes podcast circulated widely enough online that the fact-checking website Snopes even published an article that month debunking the claim that Rudd was seriously injured in the coffee-spilling incident featured on the episode.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Thankfully, Reddit came to the rescue and started debunking the theory almost right away.
—John Brandon, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Conversely, the ballot initiative's proponents have pointed to studies debunking the idea that higher taxes result in the migration of significant numbers of wealthy people and businesses.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 7 Jan. 2026
The authors have clearly considered most of the arguments against their natalist positions, and much of the book is devoted to debunking common objections to the call for more babies.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
In the first place—as every Thanksgiving-myth-debunking article notes—turkey doesn’t have a lot of tryptophan.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2025
The doc will also say its DNA analysis reveals a very high testing score for autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar, while debunking the notion that Hitler had Jewish ancestry.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 12 Nov. 2025
Scrupulous scientists and science communicators shouldn’t have to spend their efforts endlessly engaging with and debunking meritless nonsense.
—Big Think, 12 Nov. 2025
Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
Rudd's July appearance on the Take Off Your Shoes podcast circulated widely enough online that the fact-checking website Snopes even published an article that month debunking the claim that Rudd was seriously injured in the coffee-spilling incident featured on the episode.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Thankfully, Reddit came to the rescue and started debunking the theory almost right away.
—John Brandon, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Conversely, the ballot initiative's proponents have pointed to studies debunking the idea that higher taxes result in the migration of significant numbers of wealthy people and businesses.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 7 Jan. 2026
The authors have clearly considered most of the arguments against their natalist positions, and much of the book is devoted to debunking common objections to the call for more babies.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
In the first place—as every Thanksgiving-myth-debunking article notes—turkey doesn’t have a lot of tryptophan.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2025
The doc will also say its DNA analysis reveals a very high testing score for autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar, while debunking the notion that Hitler had Jewish ancestry.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 12 Nov. 2025
Scrupulous scientists and science communicators shouldn’t have to spend their efforts endlessly engaging with and debunking meritless nonsense.
—Big Think, 12 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debunking
Verb
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But the company is refuting the claims.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
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But Kennedy was equally as defiant and doubled down on his stance, strongly refuting the allegations directed towards him.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Amazon has often fielded criticism of its warehouse working conditions, and has been cited in the past for exposing workers to ergonomic hazards.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
20 Feb. 2026
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Over the following days, the individual visited a few San Gabriel Valley fast food restaurants, potentially exposing others to the measles virus.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With one episode left to go in the season, Harper and Yas have since been pulled into a high stakes and very dangerous game involving the mysterious CFO of payment processor, Tender, a company with dark secrets that Harper played a huge role in uncovering.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Feb. 2026
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The challenge is uncovering the true need.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debunking. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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