How to Use refute in a Sentence

refute

verb
  • 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.
  • In court documents, the scouts refute that idea as well.
    Alex Vejar, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Aug. 2023
  • Fluctuations in the weather don’t refute clear long-term trends in the climate.
    Jeremy P. Shapiro, The Conversation, 2 May 2023
  • But to explain this argument is to refute it, because that isn’t what the gay couple would want from Ms. Smith.
    The Editorial Board, WSJ, 2 Dec. 2022
  • But none of the reporting has been refuted, even by its targets.
    The Editors, National Review, 27 Sep. 2023
  • The Backstreet Boys singer’s reps have refuted Schuman’s claims.
    Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2023
  • The goal was to refute a defense expert who said moving an iPhone causes its backlight to come on.
    CBS News, 28 Feb. 2023
  • Castor oil has long been thought to help encourage brow and hair growth, though many experts refute that claim.
    Kara Nesvig, Allure, 29 Dec. 2022
  • Potes said he was asked to refute reports that he had been detained for alleged links to criminal gangs.
    Diana Durán, Washington Post, 15 May 2023
  • Panama’s efforts to refute Bush’s claims have not gone down well in Iran, however.
    Dominic Dudley, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2023
  • In response, Kemp refuted Trump's claims of election fraud.
    Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2023
  • Spears refuted the Times’ story the day after it was published.
    Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 31 May 2023
  • Heidi has since refuted the claim, saying that wouldn't be a healthy diet.
    Emily Shiffer, Women's Health, 23 Aug. 2023
  • Wall sought to refute accusations of bias in her letter to Comer.
    Sarah Westwood, Washington Examiner, 18 Jan. 2023
  • Ottilie said in his statement that the allegations raised by his client have yet to be refuted.
    Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024
  • Getting someone to confirm or refute the rumors has not been easy.
    Stefene Russell, The Salt Lake Tribune, 2 Oct. 2022
  • The logic model in this article would be hard to refute from any perspective.
    Torie Bosch, STAT, 18 Nov. 2023
  • Miller’s attorney refuted that report and said Miller had already parked when the Jeep pulled up behind him.
    Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2023
  • The claim was later refuted by viewers fluent in Arabic, and CNN removed that portion of the report.
    Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2024
  • Some were consistent with Dunn’s result, and some refuted it.
    Viviane Callier, Scientific American, 17 May 2023
  • The paint itself seems to refute any hint of glamour in the flesh, with dull shades of brown and tan contesting Renoir’s insistence on glowing cotton-candy pinks.
    Andy Grundberg, Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2022
  • But some young people are refuting being labeled with this term, posting their own videos that call out their accusers.
    Melissa Willets, Parents, 14 Sep. 2023
  • But the court said Peru had shown a legal basis for his extradition that Toledo has been unable to refute.
    Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Apr. 2023
  • Vare was left to refute the allegations on her campaign Facebook page.
    John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Nov. 2022
  • Witnesses refuted Perry’s claim that Foster had raised the gun.
    Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2023
  • While the outlet reported that the remark was not able heard in the courtroom, Girardi’s lawyers did not refute the accusation.
    Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 3 Jan. 2024
  • If the physician didn’t get enough cells (and menopause is a reason for that), the test cannot be relied upon to refute the possibility of cervical cancer.
    Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 6 Sep. 2022
  • When Napoleon tries to seize power, a growing government mob refutes his attempts chasing him outside the chambers.
    Daron James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'refute.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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