1
as in denying
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 discrediting
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
as in disproving
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of refuting
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2025
Days after the hearing, the leader of the Pentagon's office to investigate UFOs provided testimony of his own refuting some of the claims.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Instead, the Department of Justice (DOJ) last month released an unsigned memo refuting all of the most damning theories surrounding the case.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 14 Aug. 2025
Hall ended up refuting his own hypothesis.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Two people aim to jointly and with intensity deliberate with each other, testing each other, refuting each other at times, and otherwise pursuing an in-depth cross-examining dialogue.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
The former Florida lawmaker has vehemently denied the allegations and, in September, sent the House Committee a letter refuting them.
—Jim Little, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
But the company is refuting that now.
—Scott Thompson, Fox News, 9 Dec. 2024
The foodie feud between Ina Garten and Martha Stewart continues on, with the former refuting Stewart’s story about their falling out.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
On Friday, Swift’s lawyer stepped into the fray to set the record straight, refuting the claim that his client had agreed to answer questions under oath.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2025
Days after the hearing, the leader of the Pentagon's office to investigate UFOs provided testimony of his own refuting some of the claims.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Instead, the Department of Justice (DOJ) last month released an unsigned memo refuting all of the most damning theories surrounding the case.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 14 Aug. 2025
Hall ended up refuting his own hypothesis.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Two people aim to jointly and with intensity deliberate with each other, testing each other, refuting each other at times, and otherwise pursuing an in-depth cross-examining dialogue.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
The former Florida lawmaker has vehemently denied the allegations and, in September, sent the House Committee a letter refuting them.
—Jim Little, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
But the company is refuting that now.
—Scott Thompson, Fox News, 9 Dec. 2024
The foodie feud between Ina Garten and Martha Stewart continues on, with the former refuting Stewart’s story about their falling out.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 7 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refuting
Verb
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But there’s no denying that this emerging dynamic gives billionaires and their space companies unprecedented power that could play out in exciting — and perhaps dangerous — ways.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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China is also ramping up its ability to target satellites, aimed at weakening or denying adversaries access to space, reported SCMP.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Further discrediting itself, Thursday’s writeup includes a marketing pitch for the SquareX platform.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
28 Aug. 2025
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Wolfenbarger’s defense attorneys began to focus on discrediting Norma as a witness after prosecutors relied on her testimony to show the jury that her daughter Melissa had allegedly suffered abuse at the hands of her husband before her 1998 disappearance, according to WSB-TV.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Tesla's world class at rejecting how things were done previously.—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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The roughly 3,200 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 837 went on strike on August 4 after rejecting the company’s previous offer.—
Reuters 20 min ago,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Vail can once again prohibit delivery trucks from its pedestrian malls, a federal appeals court has ruled, overturning a Denver judge’s decision last year that put a stop to that ban.—
Justin Wingerter,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
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Adam Streisand, a lawyer for Rupert, used James’ cooperation for the story as ammunition for overturning the ruling and asking for a new trial.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Despite compelling evidence of the harms of infection and contradicting the CDC’s own recommendations, Kennedy has excluded pregnant women and children from receiving boosters.—
Judy Stone,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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However, Paris Jackson took to Instagram shortly after the remarks surfaced, directly contradicting the actor’s narrative.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The other partner’s reaction ends up confirming those beliefs instead of disproving them.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The administration counters that the injunction forces the executive branch to take steps that undermine its own policy, including negotiating with foreign governments over funds the president opposes and sending contradictory signals to Congress.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
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Denim’s contradictory state is evident across Wröbel’s denim shifts.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In addition to rebutting the allegations, ESPN could raise a number of defenses.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refuting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refuting. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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