[ rɪ'fju:t ]
■ verb
1》 prove (a statement or the person advancing it) to be wrong.
2》 deny (a statement or accusation).
Derivatives
refutable adjective
refutal noun
refutation rɛfjʊ'teɪʃ(ə)n noun
~r noun
Origin
C16: from L. refutare 'repel, rebut'.
Usage
The core meaning of ~ is ‘prove (a statement or theory) to be wrong’. From this a more general sense has developed, meaning ‘deny’, as in I absolutely ~ the charges made against me . Traditionalists object to the second use, but it is now widely accepted in standard English.