disprove
Americanverb (used with object)
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disproves,
present (3rd person singular)
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disproved,
past participle, past
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disproving
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disprovesimple
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disprovessimple
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have disprovedperfect
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has disprovedperfect
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am disprovingprogressive
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are disprovingprogressive
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is disprovingprogressive
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have been disprovingperfect progressive
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has been disprovingperfect progressive
Past
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disprovedsimple
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had disprovedperfect
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was disprovingprogressive
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were disprovingprogressive
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had been disprovingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
But since he can’t disprove it either, he’ll just go with the flow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
It’s an idea that some mathematicians believe is true but nobody has been able to prove or disprove.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Third, by demanding that plaintiffs disentangle race from politics, the court asks them to disprove the very structural reality that social network discrimination reveals.
From Slate ● May 22, 2026
The PGA of America has responded by setting up the course in a manner which aimed to disprove that.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
Wasting time to disprove Schramm was not to most biochemists’ liking.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
The study also disproves the widely repeated claim that baby rattlesnakes cannot control how much venom they release and therefore inject all of it when they bite.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
For a company that prides itself on entering categories late and defining them, Apple’s AI execution has been the exception that disproves the rule.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 21, 2026
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.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
Sala, has denied the sexual assault allegation in comments to the media, saying he has proof that disproves the sheriff’s claim.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2025
Assoil′zie, in Scots law, to absolve the accused on the grounds that the evidence disproves or does not establish the charge.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
City appear to have disproved that theory with not only the acquisition of Semenyo, but Marc Guehi too after the England defender joined from Crystal Palace for £20m.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party just disproved one of the oldest truisms in the country’s politics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
Chief among them: statements without clearly defined facts attached, meaning that they can neither be proved nor disproved; statements involving cherry-picked facts; and promises.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 24, 2026
McLaughlin’s lies were easily disproved by reporting, videos and photos.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2026
He had never seen the photograph that disproved their guilt.
From "1984" by George Orwell
Rather than disproving AI’s potential, this hiring rebound suggests many employers misunderstood where AI creates value.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
"Ryanair looks forward to disproving these false CMA claims during this bogus investigation," it added.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
In my clinical practice, I’ve learned that the key isn’t just disproving individual claims about Tylenol, autism, or vaccines—it’s explaining how to think about medical evidence.
From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2025
She criticised the accounts of prosecution witnesses, and said the investigation had focussed on "disproving the Geeveses version of events" rather than investigating the cause of Amber’s disappearance.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2024
Now he was sure that there was a grave misunderstanding taking place, and that unraveling it, disproving it, was going to take days.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
