refute

[ri-fyoot]

verb (used with object)

refuted, refuting 

1. to prove to be false or erroneous, as an opinion or charge.

   Synonyms: confute, rebut, disprove

2. to prove (a person) to be in error.

   Synonyms: confute

refute

/ rɪˈfjuː-, rɪˈfjuːt, ˈrɛfjʊtəbəl, ˌrɛfjʊtəˈbɪlɪtɪ, rɪˌfjuː- /

verb

1. (tr) to prove (a statement, theory, charge, etc) of (a person) to be false or incorrect; disprove

2. 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

• refutable adjective
• refuter noun
• self-refuted adjective
• self-refuting adjective
• unrefuted adjective
• unrefuting adjective
• refutability noun
• refutably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of refute¹

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 )

Word History and Origins

Origin of refute¹

C16: from Latin refūtāre to rebut

Example Sentences

The English singer has filed an intellectual property court claim against Carter Lang, with her lawyers saying she had "no choice" after he claimed writing credits on four of her songs, which she "strongly refuted".

From BBC

Cook has not directly refuted the allegation about her mortgage documents, but her attorneys said she told the lender she was seeking the Atlanta condo as a vacation home.

From Los Angeles Times

The Israeli prime minister went on to refute the conclusion of a UN commission of inquiry that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, claiming the charge was "baseless".

From BBC

The details of how Biden, unwilling to accept that he had aged out of the job, sabotaged his predecessor are hard to refute.

From Salon

Several could be seen shaking their heads as he denied climate change, calling it the "greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world", and refuted the use of renewable energy.

From BBC

Related Words

• contradict 
• counter 
• disprove 
• expose 
• oppose 
• quash 
• rebut 
• repudiate 
• squelch