disprove

verb

dis·​prove (ˌ)dis-ˈprüv How to pronounce disprove (audio)
disproved; disproving; disproves

transitive verb

: to prove to be false or wrong : refute
disprove a theory

Examples of disprove in a Sentence

Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe disproved any lingering notions that the earth is flat.
Recent Examples on the Web The most moving thing about Santos’s lies is how many of them could be disproved in seconds. Andrew O’Hagan, The New York Review of Books, 1 Feb. 2024 Maintaining accurate and organized data on all consumer interactions enhances your odds of disproving false claims. Ariel Chen, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 The report also claims to disprove a travel hack that there are days when airline tickets are cheaper than others. Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 11 Feb. 2024 The richness of Ukrainian musical history, which goes back many centuries, is alone sufficient to disprove that claim. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2024 An iconoclast and a mentor, Boas is known for using the scientific method to disprove racist theories that had become dominant in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024 Larger dogs may not necessarily have higher risks of cancer. 2:03 STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images Researchers have discovered which dog breeds are more likely to get cancer, and the results disprove the notion that large dogs have a higher risk of the disease. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2024 See James Inhofe, the former GOP senator from Oklahoma who brought a snowball to the Senate floor in an attempt to disprove climate science. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024 In 2018, Czerwiński disproved a conjecture, by Leroux and Filip Mazowiecki, a computer scientist now at the University of Warsaw, that would have helped to make progress on a related problem. Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 6 Dec. 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French desprover, from des- dis- + prover to prove

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of disprove was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near disprove

Cite this Entry

“Disprove.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disprove. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

disprove

verb
dis·​prove (ˈ)dis-ˈprüv How to pronounce disprove (audio)
: to prove to be false

More from Merriam-Webster on disprove

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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