refuted; refuting
Examples of refute in a Sentence
But for every study that shows acid rain is damaging frogs, another one refutes it.
—
Emily Yoffe, New York Times Magazine, 13 Dec. 1992
And it violates the basic tenet of historical method: that the historian be alert to the negative instances that would refute his thesis and to alternative explanations that would be more plausible than his own.
—Gertrude Himmelfarb, The New History and the Old, 1987
It is not necessary to refute such an argument point by point …
—Denis Goulet, Center Magazine, May 1969
We refute these aspersions whether they come from our best friends or our worst foes.
—Sir Winston Churchill, address in House of Commons, 18 Jan. 1945,
in Nathan Aus, ed., Voices of History 1945–46, 1946
The lawyer refuted the testimony of the witness.
He refutes the notion that he's planning to retire soon.
She refuted the allegations against her.
Emily Yoffe, New York Times Magazine, 13 Dec. 1992
And it violates the basic tenet of historical method: that the historian be alert to the negative instances that would refute his thesis and to alternative explanations that would be more plausible than his own.
—Gertrude Himmelfarb, The New History and the Old, 1987
It is not necessary to refute such an argument point by point …
—Denis Goulet, Center Magazine, May 1969
We refute these aspersions whether they come from our best friends or our worst foes.
—Sir Winston Churchill, address in House of Commons, 18 Jan. 1945,
in Nathan Aus, ed., Voices of History 1945–46, 1946
The lawyer refuted the testimony of the witness.
He refutes the notion that he's planning to retire soon.
She refuted the allegations against her.
Recent Examples on the Web
This is a political tactic of the most crude sort, making no effort to refute an argument but to instead impugn the motives of those making it, along with the assumption that people with white skin can always and forever have only suspect motives.
—Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
Browsh refutes the idea the NFL chose Bad Bunny as a political stunt.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
These claims have been widely refuted by cancer experts, who have publicly stated that there is no scientific evidence or clinical trial data to support them at this time.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
Data consistently refutes the idea that theaters and streaming are in a zero-sum battle for different audiences.
—Joseph M. Singer, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for refute
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Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
Browsh refutes the idea the NFL chose Bad Bunny as a political stunt.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
These claims have been widely refuted by cancer experts, who have publicly stated that there is no scientific evidence or clinical trial data to support them at this time.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
Data consistently refutes the idea that theaters and streaming are in a zero-sum battle for different audiences.
—Joseph M. Singer, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for refute
Cite this Entry
“Refute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refute. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
refute
verb
re·fute
ri-ˈfyüt 
refuted; refuting
: to prove wrong by argument or evidence : show to be false
refute the testimony of a witness
refuter
noun
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