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
What have been widely debunked as fringe views are increasingly becoming the policies of the United States government, carrying real consequences for the health and safety of our nation.
—
Dr. Robert Edelman, Mercury News, 27 July 2025
Getty One interesting thing of note is how some of the character names line-up with an early, and supposedly debunked, report.
—Michileen Martin, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
Much of the press outside the conservative media has a vested interest in the long-standing Trump-Russia narrative never being debunked.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 24 July 2025
Dancing with Sharks will launch Discovery Channel's 2025 Shark Week, the iconic TV event that has been educating viewers about sharks and debunking misconceptions surrounding them for decades.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for debunk
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Dr. Robert Edelman, Mercury News, 27 July 2025
Getty One interesting thing of note is how some of the character names line-up with an early, and supposedly debunked, report.
—Michileen Martin, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
Much of the press outside the conservative media has a vested interest in the long-standing Trump-Russia narrative never being debunked.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 24 July 2025
Dancing with Sharks will launch Discovery Channel's 2025 Shark Week, the iconic TV event that has been educating viewers about sharks and debunking misconceptions surrounding them for decades.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 18 July 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 3 Aug. 2025.
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