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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of refute
As reported by the New York Times’ Ben Mullin in a post on X, Pelley refuted the content of Weiss’ audio recording transcript entirely.
—
Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026
Bohm’s parents have refuted those claims and the two sides are still attempting to determine where the court battle will proceed.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
This argument, too, has been there since the outset, when there was no data yet to refute it.
—Diana Gitig, ArsTechnica, 30 May 2026
However, Braun refuted those allegations.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for refute
Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026
Bohm’s parents have refuted those claims and the two sides are still attempting to determine where the court battle will proceed.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
This argument, too, has been there since the outset, when there was no data yet to refute it.
—Diana Gitig, ArsTechnica, 30 May 2026
However, Braun refuted those allegations.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for refute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refute
Verb
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Rivas led a recent charge to deny the renewal of Gabriella Charter School, which uses a substantial portion of the Echo Park campus where the district operates Logan Academy for Global Ecology.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
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On Friday, Musk also denied a Bloomberg report that SpaceX valuation was lowered on Friday, reaffirming that the rocket and satellite company will have a blockbuster IPO and comfortably dominate against other historic IPO deals.—
Ananya Chetia,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Verb
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If anything, they’ve been used to discredit her.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
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Defense attorney Tom Mesereau was an expert at discrediting witnesses, subjects told the filmmakers, but certain key witnesses, like Janet Arvizo, struggled to connect with the jury on their own.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2026
Verb
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The court also rejected the New Orleans City Council’s attempt to hold a special election, which would have given Duncan the option to run again.—
Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
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On Tuesday, however, the federation learned that the CAS panel had largely rejected its arguments but has annulled the first sanction’s partial-stadium closure.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
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The timing of the declaration comes two weeks after OpenAI publicized one of its AI models as having disproved an 80-year-old mathematical conjecture in geometry.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
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There are a number of myths and legends surrounding Wilimowski, both good and bad, that are hard to verify or disprove.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
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But his head coach, Mitch Johnson, had a contradicting statement about the situation.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
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Bettison is referring to a later time period – after the expansion of the coverage area – so his numbers don’t necessarily contradict ours.—
Divya Ramjee,
The Conversation,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Bolsonaro was arrested and ultimately convicted of plotting a coup to overturn the results of that election.—
Jim DeFede,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
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Hennis was initially convicted in state court in 1986, but the conviction was overturned on appeal because of evidentiary issues.—
Rena Rowe,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Such interventions were rebutted by Dal Babu, a former chief superintendent of London’s Metropolitan Police.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
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Nazir, for his part, rebutted the allegation.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
2 June 2026
Verb
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The coating most often discussed is polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE, which is sold under the brand name Teflon.—
Ryan Brennan
June 2,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
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Your doctor reviews those forms with you during the visit, discusses your goals and determines which medication is the right fit.—
Jay Sparks,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Refute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refute. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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