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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of refute
This software can confirm or refute the manager's suspicion about worker performance.
—
Simon Dae Oong Kim, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
Gillett refuted those charges and the case remains pending.
—John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2025
Biden and his allies have staunchly and repeatedly refuted claims that others in the building were making major decisions or that Biden lacked the mental and physical sharpness to carry out his duties.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 2 June 2025
At the time, the lawyer, with Meghan's permission, addressed claims that the Duchess of Sussex had bullied staff after marrying Harry — something her office has strongly refuted through the years.
—Becca Longmire, People.com, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
Simon Dae Oong Kim, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
Gillett refuted those charges and the case remains pending.
—John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2025
Biden and his allies have staunchly and repeatedly refuted claims that others in the building were making major decisions or that Biden lacked the mental and physical sharpness to carry out his duties.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 2 June 2025
At the time, the lawyer, with Meghan's permission, addressed claims that the Duchess of Sussex had bullied staff after marrying Harry — something her office has strongly refuted through the years.
—Becca Longmire, People.com, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refute
Verb
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New York has been denied permission to speak with multiple sitting head coaches, including Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks, who used to coach Jalen Brunson.—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
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In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Netanyahu declined to confirm or deny the proposal.—
Time,
Time,
16 June 2025
Verb
-
Terrible policy Perhaps Gabbard is sounding the alarm to discredit efforts — including a sanctions bill held up in Congress pending a green light from Trump — to pressure Putin into a meaningful negotiation on ending his war.—
Marc Champion,
Mercury News,
13 June 2025
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The irony is that the FTC is blind to the meaning of such substantial investment from Amazon, the very investment that thoroughly discredits the FTC’s case.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
Verb
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This can manifest into an AI tool that ends up rejecting qualified job candidates because it was trained on biased data.—
Janice Gassam Asare,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
That kind of backlash prompted officials in La Mesa, Oceanside, Vista and Carlsbad to reject digital billboard proposals.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 June 2025
Verb
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This can corroborate or disprove claims of the portion of materials present.—
Sarah Jones,
Sourcing Journal,
21 May 2025
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The board voted to sustain the profanity finding but determined there was not enough evidence to prove or disprove the other allegations.—
Kelly Davis,
Mercury News,
19 May 2025
Verb
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But the Iranian Mission to the United Nations was quick to contradict his claim, posting on X that the regime would not negotiate under duress.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
19 June 2025
-
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has contradicted U.S. President Donald Trump's account of mediating a ceasefire with Pakistan last month, according to an Indian statement released after a call between them.—
Danish Manzoor Bhat,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
Verb
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The measure is designed to overturn a series of executive orders by Trump, including banning transgender troops in the U.S. military and blocking transgender students from playing on girls’ sports teams.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
21 June 2025
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In court filings for the federal criminal case over Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results—which has since been dropped—prosecutors alleged Trump was repeatedly told by top advisors that there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the election.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Attorneys for Reyes will answer the complaint, attempt to rebut BLA’s allegations and raise defenses.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
18 June 2025
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The Times said Musk had multiple opportunities to reply or rebut the report before its publication.—
Miranda Nazzaro,
The Hill,
2 June 2025
Verb
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Never mind that the two teams had discussed a deal at the February trade deadline, or that their coach, Ime Udoka, had grown close with Durant during their time together in Brooklyn and was known to be a major advocate for a possible Durant move.—
Kelly Iko,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
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The courtroom was sealed as the parties discussed the matter, which had been considered resolved early in the week.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refute. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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