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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
In a statement to CNBC, Pulte noted that Cook did not attempt to refute the claims against her.
—
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
Vaccines as a cause of autism has been refuted by multiple scientific studies, and it is rejected as a cause by all leading scientific organizations.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
This claim has been refuted by Al-Jazeera and a number of other media orgs.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2025
Both the court and attorney general’s office repeatedly refuted the notion as baseless.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
Vaccines as a cause of autism has been refuted by multiple scientific studies, and it is rejected as a cause by all leading scientific organizations.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
This claim has been refuted by Al-Jazeera and a number of other media orgs.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2025
Both the court and attorney general’s office repeatedly refuted the notion as baseless.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refute
Verb
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All three Cabinet members denied wrongdoing.—
Robert Faturechi,
ProPublica,
6 Sep. 2025
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Judge Gary Arnold denied the motion Thursday morning.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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About two hours later, the US Air Force dropped military flares in the sky, with rumors stating this was an attempt to cover up and discredit the UFO incident that occurred earlier in the evening.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
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Eventually, however, Lowell’s ideas were discredited—Schiaparelli, once an ally, renounced them—and the world moved on.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Several world leaders have already rejected the plan and insisted that the only solution is the creation of a Palestinian state once Hamas hands over the hostages and a new Palestinian government takes over.—
Michele Chabin,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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Shi seemed confident that Strand Larsen, who was keen to join Newcastle United before the deadline, will knuckle down despite Wolves rejecting two bids.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Needs teeth Reforms are being reversed not because data disproves the need, but because the politics now allow retreat.—
Hansel Alejandro Aguilar,
Mercury News,
6 Sep. 2025
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Skeptics claimed that the researcher did not factor in findings from the 1978 Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP) that could disprove the theory of the cloth being artwork, such as a lack of pigment and the details of the blood stains, which are detectable with UV technology.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And not a single Democrat then contradicted them or criticized them.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Sep. 2025
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The Republican president insisted that his tough talk didn't contradict his fixation on being recognized for diplomatic efforts, saying peace must be made from a position of strength.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An outside hearing examiner overturned the December dismissal of Matthew Krueger, saying there was no cause to support any disciplinary action, according to a Facebook post by the Fort Worth Police Officers Association.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Sep. 2025
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The administration contends the law is unconstitutional, asserting an expansive view of presidential power that could prompt the Supreme Court to overturn what remains of its 90-year-old precedent upholding such removal protections.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Biden White House at the time rebutted all concerns, yet the former president’s health while in office remains the object of congressional scrutiny, particularly after he was diagnosed with aggressive cancer shortly after ceding the presidency to Trump in January.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Aug. 2025
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The latest filing by federal prosecutors seeks to rebut a defense request for additional details about the evidence the government plans to present to justify seeking the death penalty for Mangione, who is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year in Manhattan.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This model allows doctors to see fewer patients per day and spend more time discussing issues, lifestyles and treatment options beyond prescriptions.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Sep. 2025
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The significance of this was that, according to reports in The Times, Soriot had privately discussed moving the primary listing of AZ, the biggest company in the FTSE-100, to New York.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refute. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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