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.
See Examples For:
Paramount, in its statement, noted the European Commission’s conclusions “directly refute key assumptions that underpin the state AGs’ complaint seeking to block the transaction,” including whether big-budget or blockbuster films should be considered a market.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
This technique also makes them difficult to refute based on feeling alone.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
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
White and his agents took the stand to refute the allegations.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Firstly, it refutes the hypothesis that any organics found in fossils must result from contamination.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
They said the company had "extensive" evidence including messages, documents and witness testimony that "unequivocally refutes" Mavromantis' claims.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
MSF said that it “unequivocally refutes the allegations made by the Israeli authorities in recent days.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
“There is clear evidence which completely refutes these outlandish allegations.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2025
“I think not. Look how thin she is. Her weight refutes that accusation. “
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
He revived the canard about vaccines contributing to a rise in autism, despite the connection having been thoroughly refuted by years of clinical research.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Koizumi refuted the idea that Japan was engaged in "new militarism" saying it was "nothing further from the truth".
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
A vlogger named Jake Rosmarin who is on the MV Hondius has refuted claims that the ship is dirty, saying on social media it’s “simply not true.”
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
Those who refuted their work as simple stoner comedy were missing out on some of the more subversive critiques of America during the short but pivotal post-Vietnam, pre-Reagan era.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2026
No, he said Darin was in the death cells in Bekkar and that the prison provided Blackcliff’s security backup, all of which Veturius has just refuted.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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
Fun as it is to watch, there’s no refuting how psychologically sadistic “The Traitors” can be.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
“The Colonel and the King” debunks some of the most stubborn myths about Parker, refuting the notion that Parker destroyed Elvis’ career by force-feeding awful material down his throat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2025
Ecowas came to Nigeria's defence in a statement on Thursday refuting the claims.
From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2024
After all, if the prosecution could introduce nothing from Reggie’s own mouth, then the defense would not have to devise a strategy for refuting it.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
