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.
One historian on the Bergier Commission was permitted, briefly, to look at some of the Mengele files in 1999, and concluded that it was impossible to prove or disprove his presence on Swiss territory.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
Private-credit managers are trying to disprove a negative—and it has created the biggest upheaval for the $1 trillion market since it came on the scene after the financial crisis.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
Lowry immediately landed a job directing his first museum, taking the gig in part “to disprove my father telling me there were no jobs in Islamic art.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
“They’re trying to disprove a negative in terms of their operations,” Stucky said of the affected companies.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026
And as there was no way to disprove these rumors they grew marvelous and very real.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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.
