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
Trump’s election comment came in an interview Monday with a conservative podcaster and the Republican president reaffirmed his position in Oval Office remarks the next day, citing fraud allegations that numerous audits, investigations and courts have debunked.
—
Kate Brumback, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
My recent research with fellow media studies researchers Sang Jung Kim and Alex Scott at the Visual Media Lab at the University of Iowa has found that inoculation messages can help people recognize deepfakes and even make people more willing to debunk them.
—Bingbing Zhang, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
The ‘new manager bounce’ might have been debunked, but both men are doing their best to keep the myth alive.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Video footage has repeatedly debunked official accounts.
—Binaifer Nowrojee, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debunk
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Kate Brumback, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
My recent research with fellow media studies researchers Sang Jung Kim and Alex Scott at the Visual Media Lab at the University of Iowa has found that inoculation messages can help people recognize deepfakes and even make people more willing to debunk them.
—Bingbing Zhang, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
The ‘new manager bounce’ might have been debunked, but both men are doing their best to keep the myth alive.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Video footage has repeatedly debunked official accounts.
—Binaifer Nowrojee, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debunk
Cite this Entry
“Debunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debunk. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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