Rebut

/rɪˈbʌt/

verbmedium📊CommonAction
1 meaning3 questions

Definitions

1

To offer evidence or arguments that contradict or disprove a statement or accusation.

/rɪˈbʌt/

verbneutralmedium
Action

To claim or prove that a statement or assertion is false.

The defendant attempted to rebut the accusations against him.

💡 Simply: Think of it like this: someone says something, and you show them why they're wrong. Like when your sibling says they are the best, but you prove them wrong with your awesome skills.

👶 For kids: To say that something is wrong and give reasons why.

More Examples

2

She rebutted his claims with facts and figures.

3

The lawyer presented evidence to rebut the prosecution's case.

How It's Used

Legal

"The lawyer rebutted the witness's testimony with strong evidence."

Debate

"She effectively rebutted his arguments, pointing out several flaws in his logic."

Synonyms & Antonyms

From Old French *rebuter* 'to beat back, repel', from *re-* 'back' + *buter* 'to push'.

Historically used in legal contexts and formal debates, but is increasingly used in general discourse to address claims or arguments.

Memory tip

Imagine you're batting away a statement like a baseball. You RE-BAT it!

Word Origin

LanguageOld French
Original meaning

"to beat back, repel"

Base: rebut
rebut an argumentrebut a claimrebut evidenceattempt to rebutsuccessfully rebut

Common misspellings

rebuterebutt

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written