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
But the idea that a president would openly refute his director of national intelligence immediately spurred questions about whether she is now iced out of decision-making on the issue.
—
Nbc News, NBC news, 19 June 2025
His current lawyers argued that his life should have been spared because the execution methods in South Carolina amount to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the U.S. Constitution, an argument refuted by state officials and rejected by courts.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 14 June 2025
One the 2024 preprint coauthors refuted the idea that their research found myocarditis and pericarditis were caused by the COVID shots, rather than COVID infection, noting that the study did not compare outcomes between people who were vaccinated and those infected with the COVID virus.
—Jackie Fortiér, NPR, 13 June 2025
However, an Élysée source told CNN that the French presidency refutes such reports, and that Paris is moving in the direction of recognizing a Palestinian state.
—Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
Nbc News, NBC news, 19 June 2025
His current lawyers argued that his life should have been spared because the execution methods in South Carolina amount to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the U.S. Constitution, an argument refuted by state officials and rejected by courts.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 14 June 2025
One the 2024 preprint coauthors refuted the idea that their research found myocarditis and pericarditis were caused by the COVID shots, rather than COVID infection, noting that the study did not compare outcomes between people who were vaccinated and those infected with the COVID virus.
—Jackie Fortiér, NPR, 13 June 2025
However, an Élysée source told CNN that the French presidency refutes such reports, and that Paris is moving in the direction of recognizing a Palestinian state.
—Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refute
Verb
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But the company denies claims that its equipment sparked the 2019 fire, which tore through Sylmar, Porter Ranch and Granada Hills — all suburbs of Los Angeles — burning 8,799 acres.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
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To many in the transgender community, the policy also felt like another attack by the current administration to erase them from public spaces and deny their existence.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
Verb
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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
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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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Mathematical Experiments Still, this does not necessarily disprove the HOD conjecture, or render Woodin’s Ultimate L program moot.—
Gregory Barber,
Quanta Magazine,
20 June 2025
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This forces you to consider what data would disprove your assumptions, rather than just confirm them.—
Ramalakshmi Murugan,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Verb
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This advice may seem to contradict much advice (including my own) about setting boundaries.—
Hanna Hart,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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Phone records contradicted that story, showing the pair was frequently in the same location in the 10-day period leading up to Gibson’s death, according to police.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Miami Herald,
27 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 May 2025, two people pleaded guilty for their roles in what prosecutors called a plot by Bravo to overturn his conviction.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
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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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
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The president initially appeared to favor a delay in any attack to give diplomatic efforts more time, nudging Iran to come to the table to discuss curtailing its nuclear program.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refute. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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