verb
Other Word Forms
- rebuttable adjective
- rebuttal noun
- unrebuttable adjective
- unrebutted adjective
Etymology
Origin of rebut
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English reb(o)uten, from Old French rebouter, equivalent to re- re- + bouter butt 3
Explanation
To rebut is to argue against something. If your parents say you're too young and irresponsible to drive, you can rebut their claim by ticking off examples of your responsibility. When you argue against something, you rebut that position or argument. Your school's principal might rebut your teacher's argument that the class is overcrowded by pointing out that there could legally be five more kids in the class. The teacher could rebut the principal's rebuttal by observing that there aren't enough books or seats for the kids in the classroom now. Rebut comes from an old French word rebuter, meaning "to thrust back."
Vocabulary lists containing rebut
Fahrenheit 451
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Expository Writing, List 2
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Just Mercy
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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.
And he makes a claim for the relevance of his project: “These poems rebut the parochialism and tribalism that dog our present, even as they appeal to universal experiences and values.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025
Don’t miss: Nvidia is going out of its way to rebut online criticism.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 1, 2025
Prosecutors present an entirely one-sided version of the case, which the defendant cannot address or rebut.
From Slate • Sep. 4, 2025
The only way to rebut that is to put up candidates who voters believe speak from the heart.
From Salon • Jun. 30, 2025
Well informed and a very skilled debater, Beck made hash out of my fumbling avowal, and I lacked the wherewithal to rebut him.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
