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.
Synonyms
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
Photo shows newborn who went missing in 2020, not recent case
USA TODAY has debunked similar claims in the past, including false assertions that serial killers were targeting women in Texas, New Jersey and Ohio.
—
Brieanna J. Frank, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
Trending news reporter Diana Leyva debunked the wild rumors that Disney was headed to Tennessee.
—Hadley Hitson, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
New Jersey officials have debunked claims that drones were deployed to search for missing radioactive material from a shipping container, following social media speculation linked to reports of mystery drone sightings.
—Emma Li, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
In his first news conference since the election, President-elect Donald Trump cited debunked data linking vaccines and autism, vowed to slash taxes and resume construction of his border wall and accused the Biden administration of hiding the truth about recent drone sightings.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for debunk 
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Brieanna J. Frank, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
Trending news reporter Diana Leyva debunked the wild rumors that Disney was headed to Tennessee.
—Hadley Hitson, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
New Jersey officials have debunked claims that drones were deployed to search for missing radioactive material from a shipping container, following social media speculation linked to reports of mystery drone sightings.
—Emma Li, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
In his first news conference since the election, President-elect Donald Trump cited debunked data linking vaccines and autism, vowed to slash taxes and resume construction of his border wall and accused the Biden administration of hiding the truth about recent drone sightings.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for debunk
Dictionary Entries Near debunk
Cite this Entry
“Debunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debunk. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
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