First Known Use: 1545
Dictionary
refute
verb re·fute \ri-ˈfyüt\
: to prove that (something) is not true
: to say that (something) is not true
re·fut·edre·fut·ing
Full Definition of REFUTE
transitive verb
1
: to prove wrong by argument or evidence : show to be false or erroneous
2
: to deny the truth or accuracy of <refuted the allegations>
— re·fut·able \-ˈfyü-tə-bəl\ adjective
— re·fut·ably \-blē\ adverb
— re·fut·er noun
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Examples of REFUTE
- 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
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Origin of REFUTE
Latin refutare to check, suppress, refute
Related to REFUTE
Other Logic Terms
Rhymes with REFUTE
acute, astute, Asyût, bear fruit, beetroot, Beirut, birthroot, bloodroot, breadfruit, butut, cahoot, Canute, catsuit, cheroot, choucroute, clubroot, commute, compute, confute, crapshoot, cube root, deaf-mute, depute, dilute, dispute, dry suit, elute, en route, enroot, flight suit, folkmoot, freeboot, galoot, grapefruit, G suit, hardboot, hip boot, hirsute, imbrute, impute, jackboot, jackfruit, jumpsuit, kashruth, lawsuit, long suit, lounge suit, minute, nonsuit, offshoot, outshoot, Paiute, pantsuit, permute, playsuit, pollute, pursuit, recruit, repute, salute, sans doute, seaboot, snowsuit, solute, square root, star fruit, star route, statute, strong suit, sunsuit, sweat suit, swimsuit, take root, taproot, to boot, tracksuit, trade route, transmute, tribute, uproot, volute, wet suit, zoot suit
REFUTE Defined for Kids
refute
verb re·fute \ri-ˈfyüt\
re·fut·edre·fut·ing
Definition of REFUTE for Kids
: to say or prove that something is wrong or untrue <He refuted the accusation against him.>
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Next Word in the Dictionary: reg (noun)Previous Word in the Dictionary: refutatoryAll Words Near: refute
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