Could You Pass The SAT? Test Yourself!

refute

[ ri-fyoot ]
/ rɪˈfyut /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR refute ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), re·fut·ed, re·fut·ing.

to prove to be false or erroneous, as an opinion or charge.
to prove (a person) to be in error.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!
Question 1 of 10
Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.
Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.
It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.
It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of refute

1505–15; < Latin refūtāre “to check, suppress, refute, rebut,” equivalent to re- re- + -fūtāre presumably, “to beat” (attested only with the prefixes con- and re-; cf. confute)

OTHER WORDS FROM refute

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH refute

deny disapprove disprove rebut refutedispute refuterefudiate refute repudiate (see word story at refudiate)

Words nearby refute

refuse, refusenik, refusion, refutation, refutative, refute, reg, reg., reg. prof., regain, regal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to refutable

problematic, speculative, vague, imaginary, theoretical, debatable, academic, suspect, contingent, casual, conditional, conjectural, disputable, doubtful, equivocal, indefinite, indeterminate, presumptive, putative, questionable

Example sentences from the Web for refutable

British Dictionary definitions for refutable

refute
/ (rɪˈfjuːt) /

verb

(tr) to prove (a statement, theory, charge, etc) of (a person) to be false or incorrect; disprove
to deny (a claim, charge, allegation, etc)

Derived forms of refute

refutable (ˈrɛfjʊtəbəl, rɪˈfjuː-), adjectiverefutability (ˌrɛfjʊtəˈbɪlɪtɪ, rɪˌfjuː-), nounrefutably, adverbrefuter, noun

Word Origin for refute

C16: from Latin refūtāre to rebut

usage for refute

The use of refute to mean deny is thought by many people to be incorrect
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