disbelieve

American

[dis-bi-leev] / ˌdɪs bɪˈliv /

verb (used with object)

disbelieved, disbelieving

to have no belief in; refuse or reject belief in.

to disbelieve reports of UFO sightings.

verb (used without object)

disbelieved, disbelieving

to refuse or reject belief; have no belief.

disbelieve British

/ ˌdɪsbɪˈliːv /

verb

(tr) to reject as false or lying; refuse to accept as true or truthful
to have no faith (in)

disbelieve in God

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

disbeliever noun
disbelieving adjective
disbelievingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of disbelieve

First recorded in 1635–45; dis- ¹ + believe

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.

"That you can drop a person in the sea with a life jacket in a war zone was something people automatically chose to disbelieve," Mr Gonsalves said.

From BBC • Aug. 28, 2025

But the contradictions did not cause jurors to disbelieve her, said Harry MacLean, who wrote about the case in the book “Once Upon a Time: A True Story of Memory, Murder and the Law.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2024

Many people do disbelieve the very first approach by a scammer or a con artist.

From Salon • Jul. 11, 2023

Mr. Johnston said, “You cannot disbelieve the resurrection based on the historical accounts that we have. It is so well attested.”

From Washington Times • Apr. 6, 2023

The animals saw no reason to disbelieve him, especially as they could no longer remember very clearly what conditions had been like before the Rebellion.

From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023