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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of refutes
The clear video evidence starkly refutes the party line.
—
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026
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
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refutes
Verb
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Court denies Brad Raffensperger’s legal challenge.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Reyna’s lawyer, Theodore Batsakis, said his client denies killing Villalba but declined to comment further.—
Matthew Ormseth,
Los Angeles Times,
29 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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Unfortunately, a vocal political movement, on both right and left, rejects these values.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Feb. 2026
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If the House rejects the plan or delays action, the shutdown could stretch beyond the weekend, though most appropriators still expect a relatively short closure given the bipartisan momentum before the deadline.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
31 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 video of both incidents contradicts federal officials’ accounts.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
2 Feb. 2026
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The passionate youthfulness here and the spa’s holistic, restorative aura might seem like odd bedfellows, but the chemistry between the two enriches rather than contradicts the overall vibe of cool, refined, New York-ness.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 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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The department also debunks a myth suggesting a furnace works harder than usual to warm spaces that have been left cooler, which would defeat the purpose of temporarily lowering the temperature to optimize savings.—
Alexis Simmerman,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Jan. 2026
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However, Haug debunks it as a requirement.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In the first clip, Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly discusses the accusations, made by many MLB fans, that his team’s spending has made the sport less competitive, less fun and less fair.—
Scott Soshnick,
Sportico.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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The three year lifespan of the Chief AI Officer discusses the stabilize, focus, embed, and dissolve phases.—
Sandy Carter,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Refutes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refutes. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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