debunk
verb
de·bunk
(ˌ)dē-ˈbəŋk 
debunked; debunking; debunks
: to expose the sham (see sham entry 1 sense 2) or falseness of
debunk a legend
debunker
noun
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To debunk something is to take the bunk out of it—that bunk being “nonsense.” (Bunk is short for the synonymous bunkum, which has political origins.) Debunk has been in use since at least the 1920s, and it contrasts with synonyms like disprove and rebut by suggesting that something is not merely untrue but is also a sham—a trick meant to deceive. One can simply disprove a myth, but if it is debunked, the implication is that the myth was a grossly exaggerated or foolish claim.
Examples of debunk in a Sentence
The article debunks the notion that life exists on Mars.
The results of the study debunk his theory.
Recent Examples on the Web
But the current older women of today have debunked all of those stereotypes.
—
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
Gossip became rife that West Ham were willing to entertain offers for Soucek, who had two years remaining on his contract at the time, but this was debunked by West Ham’s hierarchy.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Anti-vaccine voices The detailed, data-heavy report stands in contrast to the position of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine advocate who promotes the false and thoroughly debunked claim that autism is caused by vaccines.
—ArsTechnica, 15 Apr. 2025
Over the years, multiple large-scale studies have debunked claims linking the MMR vaccine and autism.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debunk
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Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
Gossip became rife that West Ham were willing to entertain offers for Soucek, who had two years remaining on his contract at the time, but this was debunked by West Ham’s hierarchy.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Anti-vaccine voices The detailed, data-heavy report stands in contrast to the position of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine advocate who promotes the false and thoroughly debunked claim that autism is caused by vaccines.
—ArsTechnica, 15 Apr. 2025
Over the years, multiple large-scale studies have debunked claims linking the MMR vaccine and autism.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debunk
Cite this Entry
“Debunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debunk. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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