disprove

[dis-proov]

verb (used with object)

disproved, disproving 

1. to prove (an assertion, claim, etc.) to be false or wrong; refute; invalidate.

   I disproved his claim.

   Synonyms: confute, negate, contradict, discredit

disprove

/ dɪsˈpruːv /

verb

1. (tr) to show (an assertion, claim, etc) to be incorrect

Other Word Forms

• disprovable adjective
• disprover noun
• undisprovable adjective
• undisproved adjective
• disproval noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of disprove¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French desprover, equivalent to des- dis- ¹ ( def. ) + prover prove

Example Sentences

Prosecutors must first persuade a judge in a special pretrial hearing that a defendant didn’t kill in legitimate self-defense—disproving a person’s claim of mortal fear.

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In fact, the history of whaling on its own disproves the central point of “The Killing Age,” that guns were a sine qua non for the making of the modern world.

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Demonstrate that their conspiracy theory is, say, disproved by the law of gravity, and they will conclude … that Sir Isaac Newton was “in on it” too.

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Under Nevada law, the office said, it wouldn’t be able to disprove Ruesch’s self-defense claim in court.

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It seemed as if last week’s jewelry heist at the Louvre disproved my theory.

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Related Words

• belie 
• confound 
• contradict 
• discredit 
• impugn 
• invalidate 
• negate 
• rebut 
• refute