debunk
verb
de·bunk
(ˌ)dē-ˈbəŋk 
debunked; debunking; debunks
: to expose the sham (see sham entry 1 sense 2) or falseness of
debunk a legend
debunker
noun
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To debunk something is to take the bunk out of it—that bunk being “nonsense.” (Bunk is short for the synonymous bunkum, which has political origins.) Debunk has been in use since at least the 1920s, and it contrasts with synonyms like disprove and rebut by suggesting that something is not merely untrue but is also a sham—a trick meant to deceive. One can simply disprove a myth, but if it is debunked, the implication is that the myth was a grossly exaggerated or foolish claim.
Examples of debunk in a Sentence
The article debunks the notion that life exists on Mars.
The results of the study debunk his theory.
Recent Examples on the Web
Karen Read’s defense saved her strongest witness for last, experts tell Fox News Digital, bringing in Dr. Andrew Rentschler to try to debunk the prosecution’s claims about how her boyfriend, Boston cop John O’Keefe, died.
—
Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2025
Advertisement Grok debunked both Cruz’s post and the brick post.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 12 June 2025
Kennedy, who rose to prominence as a high-profile figure in the anti-vaccine movement, has made a variety of specious and debunked claims about vaccine harms.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 9 June 2025
The proclamation released Wednesday also says Haitian immigrants pose a security risk, echoing Trump's years-long claims linking immigrants with crime and criminal activity, despite consistent independent research that debunks the rhetoric.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for debunk
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Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2025
Advertisement Grok debunked both Cruz’s post and the brick post.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 12 June 2025
Kennedy, who rose to prominence as a high-profile figure in the anti-vaccine movement, has made a variety of specious and debunked claims about vaccine harms.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 9 June 2025
The proclamation released Wednesday also says Haitian immigrants pose a security risk, echoing Trump's years-long claims linking immigrants with crime and criminal activity, despite consistent independent research that debunks the rhetoric.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for debunk
Cite this Entry
“Debunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debunk. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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