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.
Recent Examples on the Web
In early 2023, Lachlan pleaded with Liz to issue a statement refuting a Financial Times article that said James would force him out upon Rupert’s death.
—Gabriel Sherman, Vanity Fair, 14 Jan. 2026
However, an insider close to Nicola is refuting that account.
—Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Surveillance footage refuted Rodriguez’s statement to police, the affidavit said.
—Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
David has had plenty of opportunities to refute the claim but has declined to explicitly do so.
—Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Refute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refute. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
Kids 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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