disprove
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- disprovable adjective
- disproval noun
- disprover noun
- undisprovable adjective
- undisproved adjective
Etymology
Origin of disprove
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French desprover, equivalent to des- dis- 1 ( def. ) + prover prove
Explanation
When you disprove something, you argue against it or give evidence that it's not true. A student falsely accused of cheating on a test will work hard to disprove it. Even though it took years to be acknowledged, Galileo's theory that the planets revolve around the sun managed eventually to disprove previous ideas that the Earth was at the center of the universe. If your friends think your family is ridiculously wealthy, you can disprove this idea by showing them the tiny house you live in and the beat up old car your dad drives. The Old French source of disprove is desprover, "refute or contradict."
Vocabulary lists containing disprove
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Private-credit managers are trying to disprove a negative—and it has created the biggest upheaval for the $1 trillion market since it came on the scene after the financial crisis.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
FBI data alone cannot prove or disprove the claim that crime is at a 125-year low because, as he points out, it only started publishing statistics in 1930, and only consistently after 1960.
From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026
Stern explained how this is a bittersweet moment for immigration activists, who relied heavily on McLaughlin’s outlandish statements to disprove DHS lies in court.
From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026
In these investigations, the commission acts as both prosecutor and judge—accusing companies of noncompliance under a broad, ambiguous law, then deciding if companies’ answers are enough to disprove the allegations.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
I knew that the best way to disprove them was simply to be direct and honest about everything that I had done.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
