rebut

[ri-buht]

See more synonyms for rebut on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), re·but·ted, re·but·ting.

to refute by evidence or argument.
to oppose by contrary proof.

verb (used without object), re·but·ted, re·but·ting.

to provide some evidence or argument that refutes or opposes.

Origin of rebut

1250–1300; Middle English reb(o)uten < Old French rebouter, equivalent to re- re- + bouter butt³

Related formsre·but·ta·ble, adjectiveun·re·but·ta·ble, adjectiveun·re·but·ted, adjective

Can be confuseddeny disapprove disprove rebut refute

Synonyms for rebut

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1. disprove, confute.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for rebutted

invalidate, deny, refute, quash, disprove, negate, confound, repulse, top, negative, cross, break, controvert, repel, confute, defeat, overturn, evert, disconfirm

Examples from the Web for rebutted

Contemporary Examples of rebutted

Anything acknowledgment of potential downsides to a policy must be rebutted fiercely.
Democrats Can’t Accept the Trade Off of a Job-Killing Minimum Wage
Kristen Soltis Anderson
February 20, 2014
Thiessen rebutted with a laconic Tweet: "Frum votes for surrender."
Doomsday Conservatives: Too Many Hormones, Too Little Plan
David Frum
December 12, 2012
The false narrative of conspiracy theorists on Pakistani cable news channels must be rebutted.
After Malala Yousafzai Shooting, Can Shock Therapy Free Pakistan?
Farahnaz Ispahani
October 12, 2012
Hennepin County (Minneapolis) Attorney Mike Freeman rebutted their charges this week.
Michael Tomasky on How the GOP Plans to Block the Black Vote
Michael Tomasky
August 13, 2012
In a cofounding exchange, he rebutted by also calling her fake, with Snooki following suit, saying that Pauly D and Vinny agreed.
Jersey Shore Season 3 Premieres: Where We Left Off
The Daily Beast
January 5, 2011

Historical Examples of rebutted

This argument, good as far as it goes, is rebutted in the following manner.
The English Language
Robert Gordon Latham
"I don't know as I've been chattering all over Bursley," he rebutted her.
Helen with the High Hand (2nd ed.)
Arnold Bennett
As that charge would damage the cause, it must be rebutted in advance.
The Inside Story Of The Peace Conference
Emile Joseph Dillon
The applicants contend that this is not simply a case where the conspiracy suggestion could not have been rebutted.
Judgments of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand on Proceedings to Review Aspects of the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Mount Erebus Aircraft Disaster
Sir Owen Woodhouse, R. B. Cooke, Ivor L. M. Richardson, Duncan Wallace McMullin, and Sir Edward Somers
All these assailants had to be rebutted, some by fair words, some by foul, and some by blows.
Master Humphrey's Clock
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for rebutted

rebut

verb -buts, -butting or -butted

(tr) to refute or disprove, esp by offering a contrary contention or argument

Derived Formsrebuttable, adjectiverebuttal, noun

Word Origin for rebut

C13: from Old French reboter, from re- + boter to thrust, butt ³

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for rebutted

rebut

c.1300, "to thrust back," from Old French reboter, rebuter "to thrust back," from re- "back" (see re-) + boter "to thrust, hit" (see butt (v.)). Legalese sense of "try to disprove, refute by evidence or argument" is from 1817. Related: Rebutted; rebutting.