1
as in refuting
to prove to be false
a Web site that assiduously debunks urban legends
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in exposing
to reveal the true nature of
the investigative reporter easily debunked the charlatan's claims of clairvoyance
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of debunking
Since the 1990s, neuroscientists have accumulated evidence debunking this idea.
—
Alicia Garceau, NPR, 6 Mar. 2026
After stirring the pot on social media, Lisa Rinna is debunking the rumor that Colton Underwood stormed out of The Traitors reunion.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
State officials later visited many of the facilities, debunking Shirley’s claims.
—St. John Barned-Smith, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Feb. 2026
Rudd's July appearance on the Take Off Your Shoes podcast circulated widely enough online that the fact-checking website Snopes even published an article that month debunking the claim that Rudd was seriously injured in the coffee-spilling incident featured on the episode.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Thankfully, Reddit came to the rescue and started debunking the theory almost right away.
—John Brandon, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Conversely, the ballot initiative's proponents have pointed to studies debunking the idea that higher taxes result in the migration of significant numbers of wealthy people and businesses.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 7 Jan. 2026
The authors have clearly considered most of the arguments against their natalist positions, and much of the book is devoted to debunking common objections to the call for more babies.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
In the first place—as every Thanksgiving-myth-debunking article notes—turkey doesn’t have a lot of tryptophan.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2025
Alicia Garceau, NPR, 6 Mar. 2026
After stirring the pot on social media, Lisa Rinna is debunking the rumor that Colton Underwood stormed out of The Traitors reunion.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
State officials later visited many of the facilities, debunking Shirley’s claims.
—St. John Barned-Smith, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Feb. 2026
Rudd's July appearance on the Take Off Your Shoes podcast circulated widely enough online that the fact-checking website Snopes even published an article that month debunking the claim that Rudd was seriously injured in the coffee-spilling incident featured on the episode.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Thankfully, Reddit came to the rescue and started debunking the theory almost right away.
—John Brandon, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Conversely, the ballot initiative's proponents have pointed to studies debunking the idea that higher taxes result in the migration of significant numbers of wealthy people and businesses.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 7 Jan. 2026
The authors have clearly considered most of the arguments against their natalist positions, and much of the book is devoted to debunking common objections to the call for more babies.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
In the first place—as every Thanksgiving-myth-debunking article notes—turkey doesn’t have a lot of tryptophan.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debunking
Verb
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Late in the evening, the sheriff's office posted that no injuries or deaths had been reported from the storm, refuting social media rumors.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA TODAY,
11 Mar. 2026
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But the company is refuting the claims.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Dallas Area Rapid Transit narrowly escaped a slate of six withdrawal elections that could have shrunk the public transportation system significantly this year, exposing challenges the agency faces in providing bus, train and other transit services over a sprawling region.—
Lilly Kersh,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Iran is exposing the limits of a presidency built on bluff, improvisation and submission rituals.—
Fareed Zakaria,
Washington Post,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There was a sense of anticipation in the air, the kind reserved for the thrill of uncovering something special.—
Minty Mellon,
Vogue,
1 Apr. 2026
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Scientists have unraveled a 40‑year‑old mystery at the heart of sleeping sickness, uncovering how a deadly parasite behind the life-threatening disease repeatedly slips past the human immune system and survives long enough to cause serious illness.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debunking. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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