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
Szymon Laks, conductor of one of several male orchestras at Auschwitz-Birkenau, vehemently refuted the notion that music was helpful to anyone in the camp.
—Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
Ghana’s officials refuted the claims of the lawyers, saying the individuals were returned to their home nations.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 16 Sep. 2025
Prior controversy surrounding its usage can largely be traced back to a 2002 study, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), the results of which have largely been refuted.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 15 Sep. 2025
The departures of stand-ups Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker seemed to validate this, though sources close to the show refute the claim.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
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Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
Ghana’s officials refuted the claims of the lawyers, saying the individuals were returned to their home nations.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 16 Sep. 2025
Prior controversy surrounding its usage can largely be traced back to a 2002 study, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), the results of which have largely been refuted.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 15 Sep. 2025
The departures of stand-ups Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker seemed to validate this, though sources close to the show refute the claim.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refute
Cite this Entry
“Refute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refute. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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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