Meaning & use
refuting
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“refuting” is a form of “refute”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitive
Present participle of refute: proving a statement, theory, or argument to be false or mistaken.
Grammar: Used in progressive tenses or as a participle: She is refuting the claim.
Patterns
- refuting something
- refuting that ...
- be refuting something
The scientist is refuting the theory with new evidence.
She spent the afternoon refuting her opponent's arguments.
Refuting false claims requires solid data.
Word forms
| base form | refute |
|---|---|
| third person singular | refutes |
| past tense | refuted |
| past participle | refuted |
Common combinations
- refute a claim
- The lawyer refuted the claim with eyewitness testimony.
- refute an argument
- He refuted the argument point by point.
- refute a theory
- New experiments refuted the old theory.
Synonyms and how they differ
- disprove
- Means to show that something is false; refute often implies doing so by argument or evidence, and is slightly more formal.
- rebut
- Means to argue against a claim; refute suggests successfully proving it wrong.
Opposites
Word family
- refutation noun
- The act of proving something false.
- refutable adjective
- Able to be proven false.
Commonly confused: refuting or deny? refuting or repute?
refuting vs deny
To deny is to say something is not true without proving it; to refute is to prove it false with evidence.
refuting vs repute
A different word meaning to consider or believe; not related to proving false.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'refuting' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Refute is a transitive verb that takes a direct object without a preposition. The other options add unnecessary prepositions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “refuting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.