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
- refutability noun
- refutable adjective
- refutably adverb
- refuter noun
- self-refuted adjective
- self-refuting adjective
- unrefuted adjective
- unrefuting adjective
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-; confute )
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.
The Journal’s “Masterpiece” column was launched in 2005 to refute that notion.
G4S refuted the claims and said it had "delivered a full lunch service" with the exception of one day in early-December.
From BBC
"We refute claims that we failed to protect her freedom of speech; every action we took was in support of this and the restrictions she outlines were all necessary for public safety," the spokesperson said.
From BBC
“We need to have a number of reports that follow these catch-up data items that either confirm or refute the trends,” said Bill Northey, investment director at U.S.
His claims are more easily examined and, often necessarily, refuted when understood as coming from a high-pressure salesman.
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.
