debunk

verb

de·​bunk (ˌ)dē-ˈbəŋk How to pronounce debunk (audio)
debunked; debunking; debunks

transitive verb

: to expose the sham (see sham entry 1 sense 2) or falseness of
debunk a legend
debunker noun

Did you know?

To debunk something is to take the bunk out of it—that bunk being “nonsense.” (Bunk is short for the synonymous bunkum, which has political origins.) Debunk has been in use since at least the 1920s, and it contrasts with synonyms like disprove and rebut by suggesting that something is not merely untrue but is also a sham—a trick meant to deceive. One can simply disprove a myth, but if it is debunked, the implication is that the myth was a grossly exaggerated or foolish claim.

Examples of debunk in a Sentence

The article debunks the notion that life exists on Mars. The results of the study debunk his theory.
Recent Examples on the Web The photos seemingly debunks all the wild rumors swirling around in the world of social media. Sara Vallone, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2024 Famous for often openly debunking rumors or confirming them publicly, and for promising never to lie to fans, Gunn’s remarks weren’t an outright denial, but rather implied it and suggest either Alcock won’t feature in Superman or the filmmaker isn’t ready yet to confirm that aspect of the story. Mark Hughes, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Still, research has repeatedly debunked the idea that immigrants are more prone to commit violent crime than U.S. citizens. Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Recent historiography has debunked those theories, showing that Bush administration officials really did think containment was falling apart and really did fear what Iraq might do afterward. Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 The fake image has been widely debunked by fact-checkers. David Gilbert, WIRED, 26 Feb. 2024 On July 13th, a man in Columbus—the boyfriend of the girl’s mother—was charged with raping a ten-year-old, which allowed reporters to discover her identity and debunked the claim that the story was false. Peter Slevin, The New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2024 The Associated Press quickly debunked the claim as false, reporting that the same name and description were used to promote incorrect claims in a January explosion in Texas and a December shooting in Las Vegas. Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 22 Feb. 2024 This suggests that the allergenic potential of a dog may not be solely determined by its breed, further debunking the current hypoallergenic dog narrative. Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of debunk was in 1923

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Dictionary Entries Near debunk

Cite this Entry

“Debunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debunk. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

debunk

verb
de·​bunk (ˈ)dē-ˈbəŋk How to pronounce debunk (audio)
: to expose the falseness in
debunk popular myths
debunker noun

More from Merriam-Webster on debunk

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