refuted; refuting
Synonyms
Examples of refute in a Sentence
But for every study that shows acid rain is damaging frogs, another one refutes it.
—
Emily Yoffe, New York Times Magazine, 13 Dec. 1992
And it violates the basic tenet of historical method: that the historian be alert to the negative instances that would refute his thesis and to alternative explanations that would be more plausible than his own.
—Gertrude Himmelfarb, The New History and the Old, 1987
It is not necessary to refute such an argument point by point …
—Denis Goulet, Center Magazine, May 1969
We refute these aspersions whether they come from our best friends or our worst foes.
—Sir Winston Churchill, address in House of Commons, 18 Jan. 1945,
in Nathan Aus, ed., Voices of History 1945–46, 1946
The lawyer refuted the testimony of the witness.
He refutes the notion that he's planning to retire soon.
She refuted the allegations against her.
Emily Yoffe, New York Times Magazine, 13 Dec. 1992
And it violates the basic tenet of historical method: that the historian be alert to the negative instances that would refute his thesis and to alternative explanations that would be more plausible than his own.
—Gertrude Himmelfarb, The New History and the Old, 1987
It is not necessary to refute such an argument point by point …
—Denis Goulet, Center Magazine, May 1969
We refute these aspersions whether they come from our best friends or our worst foes.
—Sir Winston Churchill, address in House of Commons, 18 Jan. 1945,
in Nathan Aus, ed., Voices of History 1945–46, 1946
The lawyer refuted the testimony of the witness.
He refutes the notion that he's planning to retire soon.
She refuted the allegations against her.
Recent Examples on the Web
The agency has since refuted the claim the couple was involved in its decision to separate from the actor.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
News of the affidavit was first reported by NBC News, which reported that Samantha refuted many of the claims in the affidavit in a statement to NBC.
—Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2025
Fauci, the face of the nation’s pandemic response, was criticized by Trump and his allies for efforts to refute Trump’s unsubstantiated claims about the virus and urging Americans to be vaccinated.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2025
The company has denied any wrongdoing and refutes claims of environmental harms.
—Robert A. Kopack, The Conversation, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for refute 
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Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
News of the affidavit was first reported by NBC News, which reported that Samantha refuted many of the claims in the affidavit in a statement to NBC.
—Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2025
Fauci, the face of the nation’s pandemic response, was criticized by Trump and his allies for efforts to refute Trump’s unsubstantiated claims about the virus and urging Americans to be vaccinated.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2025
The company has denied any wrongdoing and refutes claims of environmental harms.
—Robert A. Kopack, The Conversation, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for refute
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Dictionary Entries Near refute
Cite this Entry
“Refute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refute. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
refute
verb
re·fute
ri-ˈfyüt 
refuted; refuting
: to prove wrong by argument or evidence : show to be false
refute the testimony of a witness
refuter
noun
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