Refute Meaning
/ɹɪˈfjuːt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo prove (something) to be false or incorrect.
verbTo deny the truth or correctness of (something); to reject or disagree with an accusation.
Sentence Examples
The witnesses were able to refute the false testimony of the suspect.
I don't want to refute this outworn idea.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The detective found strong new evidence to ____ the suspect's false alibi in court.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The lawyer used forensic evidence to ____ the prosecution's account of the events.
Word Origin & History
From Latin refūtō (“refute, repudiate”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"After we came out of the church, we stood talking for some time together of Bishop Berkeley's ingenious sophistry to prove the non-existence of matter, and that every thing in the universe is merely ideal. I observed, that though we are satisfied his doctrine is not true, it is impossible to refute it. I never shall forget the alacrity with which Johnson answered, striking his foot with mighty force against a large stone, till he rebounded from it, "I refute it thus.""
— 1791, James Boswell, The life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D.:
"A spokesperson for VARS Technology said: “We completely refute the suggestion that our market-leading ANPR system is unreliable"."
— 2025 December 20, Taro Kaneko, “Family ‘banned from more than 1,000 petrol stations’ amid fuel theft row”, in The Guardian:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The detective found strong new evidence to ____ the suspect's false alibi in court.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The lawyer used forensic evidence to ____ the prosecution's account of the events.