disprove
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disprove
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French desprover, equivalent to des- dis- 1 ( def. ) + prover prove
Explanation
When you disprove something, you argue against it or give evidence that it's not true. A student falsely accused of cheating on a test will work hard to disprove it. Even though it took years to be acknowledged, Galileo's theory that the planets revolve around the sun managed eventually to disprove previous ideas that the Earth was at the center of the universe. If your friends think your family is ridiculously wealthy, you can disprove this idea by showing them the tiny house you live in and the beat up old car your dad drives. The Old French source of disprove is desprover, "refute or contradict."
Vocabulary lists containing disprove
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Amir D. Axcel’s new book, Why Science Does Not Disprove God goes a long way to showing why many scientists and philosophers misunderstand each other when it comes to how to approach ultimate questions.
From Forbes • Apr. 15, 2014
Disprove it you couldn't, for it was part of one's senses—the very evidence on which the materialists rely to prove that beyond this world there is nothing.
From Evelyn Innes by Moore, George (George Augustus)
Nor the Compounds of the same Words to one another, as Disprove to Approve, and the like.
From The Art of English Poetry (1708) by Bysshe, Edward
Disprove these positions, and we lay by the pen and 'throw physic to the dogs.'
From The American Reformed Cattle Doctor by Dadd, George
"Disprove it, then!" exclaimed Manners, who, from the whole tenour of the gipsy's conversation, felt more and more convinced of his companion's innocence at every step they took.
From The Gipsy (Vols I & II) A Tale by James, G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
