debunk
verb
de·bunk
(ˌ)dē-ˈbəŋk 
debunked; debunking; debunks
: to expose the sham (see sham entry 1 sense 2) or falseness of
debunk a legend
debunker
noun
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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.
Synonyms
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
Reuters, Lead Stories and Snopes also debunked the claim.
—
Andre Byik, USA TODAY, 26 Nov. 2024
The recent rumors about Schumacher attending Gina's wedding were promptly debunked by Johnny Herbert, a former fellow F1 racer and one of Schumacher's close friends.
—Alex Harrington, Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2024
Yet in the years since, many of the most popular exemplars of the form have been, to one degree or another, debunked — or at least reframed: A Million Little Pieces, Running With Scissors, Three Cups of Tea.
—Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
But before diving into their halcyon decades in Paris between the 1860s and the 1930s, the exhibition starts by debunking the myth that pearls are formed when a mollusk swallows a grain of sand.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for debunk 
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Andre Byik, USA TODAY, 26 Nov. 2024
The recent rumors about Schumacher attending Gina's wedding were promptly debunked by Johnny Herbert, a former fellow F1 racer and one of Schumacher's close friends.
—Alex Harrington, Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2024
Yet in the years since, many of the most popular exemplars of the form have been, to one degree or another, debunked — or at least reframed: A Million Little Pieces, Running With Scissors, Three Cups of Tea.
—Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
But before diving into their halcyon decades in Paris between the 1860s and the 1930s, the exhibition starts by debunking the myth that pearls are formed when a mollusk swallows a grain of sand.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for debunk
Dictionary Entries Near debunk
Cite this Entry
“Debunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debunk. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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