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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in disproving
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of refuting
Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 25 Sep. 2025
Barrett himself previously addressed the rumors surrounding his time off, refuting any suggestion that he had been removed from his position.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
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
Adjective
Health experts and medical organizations are refuting claims of a link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 25 Sep. 2025
Barrett himself previously addressed the rumors surrounding his time off, refuting any suggestion that he had been removed from his position.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refuting
Verb
-
Turning to a zone defense in the second half of Game 1 suffocated Phoenix’s offense, denying Alyssa Thomas the middle of the floor and turning the tide of the game.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
-
But there’s no denying that Wednesday’s exhibition was a special night for Jakucionis.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Already, Cuba’s top diplomats have been sharing propaganda content discrediting Machado as a warmonger.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
-
There would be accusations of race manipulation, an online mob discrediting Wallace’s win as undeserved, and an angry Joe Gibbs Racing organization, which would now realize Hamlin puts another team’s interests ahead of their own.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
House Speaker Mike Johnson is rejecting calls for Congress to hold a separate vote to pay military service members, who could miss paychecks next week if the government shutdown continues.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been adamant in rejecting the idea of an independent Palestinian state, and his polices over the years have often worked to undermine the PA, which aspires to govern a future State of Palestine.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Court appears poised to extend this reasoning further, potentially overturning , which has protected independent agency officials from at-will removal for nearly ninety years.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
-
According to an arrest citation, Gray, who was seen nearly overturning his vehicle several times, had a blood alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit.—
Josh Wood,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The allegation is that Comey authorized Richman to speak to the press anonymously, contradicting his testimony.—
Katherine Faulders,
ABC News,
8 Oct. 2025
-
The memo, first reported by Axios, says that Congress must specifically appropriate funds for back pay, contradicting previous understandings of the law.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The other partner’s reaction ends up confirming those beliefs instead of disproving them.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The challenge of evaluating Beauvoir is that both her life and her work were extraordinary in ways that are deeply, bafflingly contradictory.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
-
At least a half-dozen people described an emotional seesaw they were put through by weeks of contradictory UPS tracking updates about their shipments.—
Kayla Steinberg,
NBC news,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Crenshaw wrote that the government now bears the burden of rebutting the presumption of vindictive prosecution.—
Evan Mealins,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
-
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 18 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share