MEANING
to show through evidence or reasoning that a claim is false or mistaken
Use it for
Words that belong together
- refute an argument
- refute a claim
- refute an allegation
On the page
The counterexample refutes the claim that all such systems are stable.
Later evidence refuted the proposed chronology.
The essay attempts to refute the assumption on which the argument depends.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- refute / refutes
- Past tense
- refuted
- Past participle
- refuted
- Present participle
- refuting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- refute / refutes
- Present continuous
- am/is/are refuting
- Present perfect
- have/has refuted
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been refuting
- Past
- refuted
- Past continuous
- was/were refuting
- Past perfect
- had refuted
- Past perfect continuous
- had been refuting
- Future
- will refute / refutes
- Future continuous
- will be refuting
- Future perfect
- will have refuted
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been refuting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary curation section: Academic. Stronger than dispute or deny: a successful refutation establishes a flaw rather than merely opposing a view. refute; refutes; refuted; refuted; refuting. Related noun: refutation.
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