verb
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(tr) to prove (a statement, theory, charge, etc) of (a person) to be false or incorrect; disprove
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to deny (a claim, charge, allegation, etc)
Usage
The use of refute to mean deny is thought by many people to be incorrect
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of refute
First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin refūtāre “to check, suppress, refute, rebut,” equivalent to re- re- + -fūtāre presumably, “to beat” (attested only with the prefixes con- and re-; cf. confute)
Explanation
The verb refute is to prove that something is wrong. When the kids you're babysitting swear they brushed their teeth, you can refute their claim by presenting the dry toothbrushes. Evidence and arguments are used to refute something. So are facts. For example, if children who eat chocolate before going to bed go straight to sleep, that refutes the idea that sugar keeps them up. Refute comes from the Latin refutare for "to check, suppress." A near synonym is confute, but save refute as an everyday word for proving something is false.
Vocabulary lists containing refute
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
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The ACT: The Language of the Test, List 2
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Grade 9, List 3
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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.
The assertion that Asian Americans and other nonwhite immigrants don’t “assimilate”—a freighted term, to be sure—is both easy and hard to refute.
From Slate • May 26, 2026
RAND: Being able to marshal a lot of facts and evidence to refute conspiracy beliefs is really important.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026
NHS South East London ICB said they "strongly refute any suggestion that decisions in this case have been driven by cost."
From BBC • May 19, 2026
Ed Yardeni, president and chief investment strategist of Yardeni Research, also expects that the April retail sales data will refute the ongoing “chorus of predictions of an imminent consumer retrenchment.”
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
Citra opened her mouth to refute it, but closed it again.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
