debunk
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- debunker noun
Etymology
Origin of debunk
Explanation
When you debunk something you show it to be false. Many magicians, including Houdini and Penn and Teller, have worked to debunk the idea that magic is anything other than a very clever illusion. To debunk something is to prove it wrong. The idea that music education is frivolous and should be the first item cut from the budget is something that music teachers work hard to debunk — in fact, they've done it by proving that students perform better in schools with strong music programs. The verb debunk was first used by an American writer, William Woodward, in 1923, to mean "take the bunk out of something." Bunk means "nonsense."
Vocabulary lists containing debunk
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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Vocabulary from the Third and Final Presidential Debate, October 19, 2016
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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.
It’s hard to debunk false claims “coming with the seal of the federal government,” said Derek Tisler, counsel and manager with the Brennan Center for Justice’s elections and government program.
From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026
"The publication of historical archives strengthens institutional credibility, helps debunk conspiracy theories and demonstrates a commitment to the truth," according to a guide published with the documents.
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
The research helped him debunk myths of the near-useless male lion that seldom hunts and of the female as the consummate mother.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025
His memo was so thick with lies that it would take a week to debunk them all.
From Salon • Oct. 22, 2025
Yet when language scholars try to debunk the spurious rules, the dichotomizing mindset imagines that they are trying to abolish all standards of good writing.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
