refuted; refuting
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 story included statements from Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel refuting the premise, but not Bongino.
—Eric Tucker, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025
The memo also concluded that Epstein died by suicide, refuting other claims that there was foul play behind his 2019 death in prison.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 10 July 2025
Shelby confirmed those figures to The Athletic on Saturday, but three Texas Tech sources refuted that number, with two confirming that Ojo is scheduled to receive an annual compensation of $775,000 per year for three years from Tech’s revenue-sharing pool.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 5 July 2025
The defense also countered the physical evidence: expert witnesses challenged the state’s claim that Willie Stevens’s fingerprint appeared on the calling card found at the scene, while others refuted the allegation that Mrs. Hall had a facial scar in the days following the murder.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
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Eric Tucker, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025
The memo also concluded that Epstein died by suicide, refuting other claims that there was foul play behind his 2019 death in prison.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 10 July 2025
Shelby confirmed those figures to The Athletic on Saturday, but three Texas Tech sources refuted that number, with two confirming that Ojo is scheduled to receive an annual compensation of $775,000 per year for three years from Tech’s revenue-sharing pool.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 5 July 2025
The defense also countered the physical evidence: expert witnesses challenged the state’s claim that Willie Stevens’s fingerprint appeared on the calling card found at the scene, while others refuted the allegation that Mrs. Hall had a facial scar in the days following the murder.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
Cite this Entry
“Refute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refute. Accessed 16 Jul. 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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