1
as in to deny
to declare not to be true
while he was publicly refuting rumors of a merger, behind the scenes the CEO was working to effect that very outcome
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to discredit
to prove to be false
the victories of African-American athlete Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympics effectively refuted the racial views of the Nazis
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of refute
Michaels took to her Instagram days after the release of Fit for TV to post a series of screenshots of text chains, email threads, and other pieces of documentation refuting or otherwise complicating each claim leveled at her.
—
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Oct. 2025
When rumors flew in the colonies that Franklin had personally designed the Stamp Act, William refuted the charges.
—Stacy Schiff, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
Ever the nosy detective, Ashley takes it upon herself to search Virginia’s court records to find a record of Stacey’s divorce, and comes up empty, a claim that Stacey doesn’t refute.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
An annual spectacle to refute our constant erasure, whether intended or committed in ignorance, from the zeitgeist.
—Rodney Carmichael, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Oct. 2025
When rumors flew in the colonies that Franklin had personally designed the Stamp Act, William refuted the charges.
—Stacy Schiff, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
Ever the nosy detective, Ashley takes it upon herself to search Virginia’s court records to find a record of Stacey’s divorce, and comes up empty, a claim that Stacey doesn’t refute.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
An annual spectacle to refute our constant erasure, whether intended or committed in ignorance, from the zeitgeist.
—Rodney Carmichael, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refute
Verb
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Upon the basis of these findings, Congress declares that the constitutional right of citizens to vote is denied or abridged in some areas by the requirement of the payment of a poll tax as a precondition to voting.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Oct. 2025
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The administration says the white South African farmers face discrimination and violence in South Africa, which the country’s government denies.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Pritzker has been trying to debunk claims that Chicago is an out-of-control hellhole; to assert in court that the federal government has no right to send in federal troops; and to discredit the tactics by immigration agents to arrest migrants in his state’s streets and businesses.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
20 Oct. 2025
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Demonstrations can be hard to describe and easy to discredit.—
Nancy Gibbs,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The council had already rejected Allied once before, months earlier, over settlements — including back wages — that the company has had to pay out to current and former employees.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
17 Oct. 2025
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Teachers, students, and parents alike rejected the $850 million effort.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Why do some people endorse claims that can easily be disproved?—
Abraham Rutchick,
The Conversation,
15 Oct. 2025
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Abramov points out that this does not disprove the Mars life explanation, but rather just presents an alternative, albeit much more probable, explanation for the evidence.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, the facts contradict these reports.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
19 Oct. 2025
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Arrest of Massachusetts teen A 13-year-old in Everett, Massachusetts, was detained by ICE and moved to a different state last week in a case in which local officials have contradicted a key statement from a DHS official.—
Josh Campbell,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Additionally, the letter calls on Congressional support for the European Union to overturn its ban on Sulfuryl Fluoride, a pesticide used to fumigate Southern Yellow Pine wood chips on breakbulk cargo ships.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Oct. 2025
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The British Library overturned its initial decision by issuing Wilde’s proxy a new card in his name.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Then-Media School Dean James Shanahan rebutted the assertion, saying the school had never sought to influence the paper's content.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
14 Oct. 2025
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At Tuesday’s meeting and prior to a vote by the council, Fuller will be given the right to rebut the grounds for the censure proposed.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Since Olympic charter flights to Milan will be departing from the New York area, and because the Islanders had been promised an event in February 2026, the possibility of doing a big press availability was discussed as an alternative.—
Chris Johnston,
New York Times,
22 Oct. 2025
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Elsewhere in the podcast, Shallow discusses her penchant for using femininity and flirtation as reality TV weapons, and how that nickname cast a shadow on her real-life relationships.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refute. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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