refute
Americanverb
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(tr) to prove (a statement, theory, charge, etc) of (a person) to be false or incorrect; disprove
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to deny (a claim, charge, allegation, etc)
Usage
The use of refute to mean deny is thought by many people to be incorrect
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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refutabilitynoun
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refuternoun
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refutableadjective
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self-refutedadjective
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self-refutingadjective
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unrefutedadjective
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unrefutingadjective
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refutablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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refutesimple
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refutessimple
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have refutedperfect
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has refutedperfect
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am refutingprogressive
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are refutingprogressive
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is refutingprogressive
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have been refutingperfect progressive
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has been refutingperfect progressive
Past
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refutedsimple
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had refutedperfect
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was refutingprogressive
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were refutingprogressive
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had been refutingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of refute
First recorded in 1505–15; from 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)
Explanation
The verb refute is to prove that something is wrong. When the kids you're babysitting swear they brushed their teeth, you can refute their claim by presenting the dry toothbrushes. Evidence and arguments are used to refute something. So are facts. For example, if children who eat chocolate before going to bed go straight to sleep, that refutes the idea that sugar keeps them up. Refute comes from the Latin refutare for "to check, suppress." A near synonym is confute, but save refute as an everyday word for proving something is false.
Vocabulary lists containing refute
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
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The ACT: The Language of the Test, List 2
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Grade 9, List 3
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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.
Musk took to X, the social media platform he owns, to refute the idea that Tesla's self-driving technology was to blame for the crash because it happened at a high speed.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
A trio of rulings on Thursday refute this smear.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Ed Yardeni, president and chief investment strategist of Yardeni Research, also expects that the April retail sales data will refute the ongoing “chorus of predictions of an imminent consumer retrenchment.”
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
Erickson was seeking to refute claims by the family of Grossman’s victims that he and Grossman were racing when she hit Mark and Jacob Iskander, ages 11 and 8.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
To refute her critics, Gallup had assembled a team at Riverbank, with Fabyan’s backing.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
