1
as in denies
to declare not to be true
while he was publicly refuting rumors of a merger, behind the scenes the CEO was working to effect that very outcome
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discredits
to prove to be false
the victories of African-American athlete Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympics effectively refuted the racial views of the Nazis
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of refutes
This definitive non-detection directly contradicts earlier hints and fully refutes claims from experiments such as Neutrino-4, which reported positive evidence for such a signal.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Dec. 2025
And refutes this idea that dinosaurs were in decline before the asteroid struck.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 30 Oct. 2025
Like Dunbar’s speakers, Hughes’s dispossessed have no way out, and the poem implicitly refutes optimism regarding the Great Migration and racial progress.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Ex-contractor likens Gaza aid effort to 'The Hunger Games,' former employer refutes claims One meal a day.
—Gram Slattery, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
However, in a blog on the topic, the NPS refutes the idea that one park is more deadly than any other.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 9 Sep. 2025
Yet Superman's entire story refutes this zero-sum thinking.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refutes
Verb
-
Despite the demand letter, Daou denies any allegations the family attempted to steal from the park.—
-
He is charged with felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery, but denies the allegations.—
Verb
-
The praiseworthyness of having both sides of the debate evaporates when the host actively discredits the expert and reflexively enhances the legitimacy of the conspiracy theorist.—
-
Yet despite its popularity, research discredits this long-standing belief.—
Verb
-
Judge rejects diversion program In November, Yolo Superior Court Judge Paul Richardson rejected Trauernicht’s request to suspend his case and admit him into a mental health diversion program.—
-
But Schelling rejects the idea that working in a shop is settling.—
Verb
-
Similarly, the video Som da Maloka, 2024, by Raphael Escobar overturns negative stereotypes about the shelterless men of color living in Cracolândia, a highly impoverished and heavily policed area of downtown São Paulo ravaged by crack cocaine and other drugs.—
-
Bell toe-taps to get into the end zone on the third-down pass, and replay overturns the initial incomplete call.—
Verb
-
Voters forget scandals that should matter but vividly remember ones that fit their partisan worldview, sometimes even when memory contradicts fact.—
-
The witness claimed Mbolo Isac was not a victim of road rage, which contradicts the NYPD version, as well as surveillance video described to the Daily News.—
Verb
-
Tootles’ death disproves this, showing that a hybrid being can die under extreme circumstances.—
-
Needs teeth Reforms are being reversed not because data disproves the need, but because the politics now allow retreat.—
Verb
-
However, Haug debunks it as a requirement.—
-
Newer research, however, debunks that previous notion, showing that the tactic may be ineffective.—
Verb
-
Continue reading … PUT ON NOTICE – Trump discusses expansion of drug cartel crackdown, issues grim warning to Iran.—
-
Zhao discusses the grieving mother’s inability to let Hamnet go.—
Cite this Entry
“Refutes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refutes. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share