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
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.
The assertion that Asian Americans and other nonwhite immigrants don’t “assimilate”—a freighted term, to be sure—is both easy and hard to refute.
From Slate • May 26, 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
Federal prosecutors, seeking to imprison Rinderknecht for up to 45 years, say they will call ATF experts to refute that fireworks, a cigarette or power lines started the Palisades fire.
From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026
Since this allegation falls very directly into my own realm, I am able to refute it with absolute authority.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
