refute
American
verb
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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.
See Examples For:
“We believe the partnership helps refute the recent bear thesis that AI agents and personal shoppers could disintermediate Shopify and its large payments business,” Shah wrote in an investor note.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
Naturally, this makes the film’s contents easier to refute for those who choose to deny the obvious.
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026
RAND: Being able to marshal a lot of facts and evidence to refute conspiracy beliefs is really important.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026
NHS South East London ICB said they "strongly refute any suggestion that decisions in this case have been driven by cost."
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
He published his articles about me and prayed that I would never show up to refute them.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Early in the film, Billy refutes Kris’ overcomplicated idea of horror films.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
But the disclosure, which Haley Van Erem filed with Congress, refutes itself repeatedly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Firstly, it refutes the hypothesis that any organics found in fossils must result from contamination.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
Outside of the Chagall exhibition in Moscow, former piano teacher Irina refutes the idea of trying to escape from the war.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
“I think not. Look how thin she is. Her weight refutes that accusation. “
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
She previously refuted speculation that she just gave up her child.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
However, “Iran refuted the existence of talks with the U.S., which could still limit the extent of the pullback in prices,” Dahrieh adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The U.S. refuted that claim, with Centcom saying “Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing,” in a social-media post Sunday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
Sawyer denied this allegation and refuted the claim that he was still running the business.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
He classified the lines he studied into stratifications of importance, always eliminating the not-quite-perfect continuation and seeking what he called the “true move,” that which could not be refuted.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Ms. Fritz’s task in refuting the rumors of a love affair isn’t easy, but she keeps at it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The conflict has functioned as an accelerated stress test, compressing years of operational learning into months and validating or refuting assumptions about real-world system performance.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakin said the accusation was "completely unbelievable and not even worth refuting".
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
Key witnesses refuting those denials included Kay’s wife, Camela, and Hetman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
“No, of course I—” I was so committed to refuting him that I had half-denied the charge before I understood it; now my eyes swung back to his face.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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.
