1
as in to refute
to prove to be false
a Web site that assiduously debunks urban legends
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2
as in to expose
to reveal the true nature of
the investigative reporter easily debunked the charlatan's claims of clairvoyance
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Recent Examples of debunk
Don't try to debunk our interpretation of what's happened.
—
Andrew Pulrang, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
Worst case, public health authorities worry, the U.S. could see increases in preventable illnesses; a weakening of public confidence in established science; and debunked notions — such as a link between vaccines and autism — adopted as policy.
—Rachel Reiff Ellis, Fortune Well, 6 Nov. 2024
In each case, the authors present findings that both debunk the myths and point to more effective ways of managing toxic online behavior.
—Olivier Sibai,
marius K. Luedicke,
kristine De Valck, Harvard Business Review, 5 Nov. 2024
Since the intelligence agencies do not usually bother to debunk such individual bits of false propaganda, the sudden flurry of public notifications indicates the severity of the threat that U.S. spies now see in the underlying Russian plot against the election.
—The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for debunk 
Andrew Pulrang, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
Worst case, public health authorities worry, the U.S. could see increases in preventable illnesses; a weakening of public confidence in established science; and debunked notions — such as a link between vaccines and autism — adopted as policy.
—Rachel Reiff Ellis, Fortune Well, 6 Nov. 2024
In each case, the authors present findings that both debunk the myths and point to more effective ways of managing toxic online behavior.
—Olivier Sibai,
marius K. Luedicke,
kristine De Valck, Harvard Business Review, 5 Nov. 2024
Since the intelligence agencies do not usually bother to debunk such individual bits of false propaganda, the sudden flurry of public notifications indicates the severity of the threat that U.S. spies now see in the underlying Russian plot against the election.
—The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for debunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debunk
Verb
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Local officials were quick to refute the rumors and show their support for the city's small immigrant community.Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 20 Nov. 2024
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That came after a former Google employee filed a complaint alleging that the company restricted free speech and fired him for expressing conservative views, which Google refuted.Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2024
Verb
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They’ll also be paired one-on-one with ProPublica journalists who can help counsel them on stories, build their connections in the industry and expose them to the varied paths for careers in investigative journalism.Talia Buford, ProPublica, 14 Nov. 2024
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Former President Donald Trump’s false claims about fraud in the 2020 election exposed the people who operate our elections to threats and harassment in the run-up to this one.Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024
Verb
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An attacker could use the times and phone numbers of calls—the records that AT&T lost in a massive data breach uncovered in July—for a variety of impersonation and spoofing attacks.Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 16 Nov. 2024
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To uncover the truth about a pernicious insurance industry practice, staffers with the New York’s state attorney general’s office decided to tell a series of lies.Max Blau, ProPublica, 14 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near debunk
Cite this Entry
“Debunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debunk. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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