1
as in denies
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 discredits
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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Recent Examples of refutes
That statement alone refutes claims that IHRA is meant to silence debate.
—
David Moore, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2026
This definitive non-detection directly contradicts earlier hints and fully refutes claims from experiments such as Neutrino-4, which reported positive evidence for such a signal.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Dec. 2025
And refutes this idea that dinosaurs were in decline before the asteroid struck.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 30 Oct. 2025
Like Dunbar’s speakers, Hughes’s dispossessed have no way out, and the poem implicitly refutes optimism regarding the Great Migration and racial progress.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Ex-contractor likens Gaza aid effort to 'The Hunger Games,' former employer refutes claims One meal a day.
—Gram Slattery, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
However, in a blog on the topic, the NPS refutes the idea that one park is more deadly than any other.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 9 Sep. 2025
Yet Superman's entire story refutes this zero-sum thinking.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
David Moore, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2026
This definitive non-detection directly contradicts earlier hints and fully refutes claims from experiments such as Neutrino-4, which reported positive evidence for such a signal.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Dec. 2025
And refutes this idea that dinosaurs were in decline before the asteroid struck.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 30 Oct. 2025
Like Dunbar’s speakers, Hughes’s dispossessed have no way out, and the poem implicitly refutes optimism regarding the Great Migration and racial progress.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Ex-contractor likens Gaza aid effort to 'The Hunger Games,' former employer refutes claims One meal a day.
—Gram Slattery, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
However, in a blog on the topic, the NPS refutes the idea that one park is more deadly than any other.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 9 Sep. 2025
Yet Superman's entire story refutes this zero-sum thinking.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refutes
Verb
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Despite the demand letter, Daou denies any allegations the family attempted to steal from the park.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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He is charged with felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery, but denies the allegations.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The praiseworthyness of having both sides of the debate evaporates when the host actively discredits the expert and reflexively enhances the legitimacy of the conspiracy theorist.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
1 Dec. 2025
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Yet despite its popularity, research discredits this long-standing belief.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Saudi geopolitical researcher Salman Al-Ansari rejects claims that Riyadh is drifting ideologically or embracing Islamist movements, framing Saudi policy as interest-driven.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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Tensions rise when Nora, a stage actress, rejects Gustav's offer to star in his comeback film and is forced to confront her feelings toward her estranged father.—
Yamillah Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Similarly, the video Som da Maloka, 2024, by Raphael Escobar overturns negative stereotypes about the shelterless men of color living in Cracolândia, a highly impoverished and heavily policed area of downtown São Paulo ravaged by crack cocaine and other drugs.—
Michaëla de Lacaze Mohrmann,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
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Bell toe-taps to get into the end zone on the third-down pass, and replay overturns the initial incomplete call.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
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But in almost every case, federal authorities justify the agent's actions by claiming the car was being used as a weapon, or the agent's life was in danger, even when evidence contradicts those claims.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
12 Jan. 2026
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Their finding contradicts the Hall–Petch law, which predicts that metals become stronger as their internal grain size decreases.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Tootles’ death disproves this, showing that a hybrid being can die under extreme circumstances.—
Leia Mendoza,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
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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
Verb
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However, Haug debunks it as a requirement.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 Dec. 2025
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Newer research, however, debunks that previous notion, showing that the tactic may be ineffective.—
Kaitlin Vogel,
Health,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Continue reading … PUT ON NOTICE – Trump discusses expansion of drug cartel crackdown, issues grim warning to Iran.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Zhao discusses the grieving mother’s inability to let Hamnet go.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Refutes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refutes. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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