disprove

American  

[dis-proov] / dɪsˈpruv /

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

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disprove British  

/ dɪsˈpruːv /

verb

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

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Other Word Forms

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

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

Example Sentences

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

I go back to, and this is the conversation I have internally as well, the hardest thing to disprove is a negative.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

He added that software companies right now have no way to disprove the thesis of disruption because that thesis is that the disruption will come in a few years, rather than now.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026

FBI data alone cannot prove or disprove the claim that crime is at a 125-year low because, as he points out, it only started publishing statistics in 1930, and only consistently after 1960.

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026

America, it appeared, had once been the home of a truly substantial creature–one that would surely disprove Buffon’s foolish Gallic contentions.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

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