rebut

verb

re·​but ri-ˈbət How to pronounce rebut (audio)
rebutted; rebutting

transitive verb

1
: to drive or beat back : repel
2
a
: to contradict or oppose by formal legal argument, plea, or countervailing proof
b
: to expose the falsity of : refute

intransitive verb

: to make or furnish an answer or counter proof
rebuttable adjective

Did you know?

The -but in rebut once meant basically "butt", so rebut's original meanings were "to drive or beat back" and "to attack with violent language". Rebuttals can still be rather violent, as anyone who has watched some heated moments in a presidential debate can testify. The word is often used by lawyers, since the lawyer for the accused or for the party being sued almost always tries to rebut the charges against his or her client; but it's also used in plenty of contexts outside the courtroom.

Examples of rebut in a Sentence

Her lawyer attempted to rebut the witness's testimony. Stalingrad's defenders were finally able to rebut the besiegers, but only after a horrendous loss of life.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Good people can step up to difficult conversations and listen to each other with the intent to learn rather than to rebut. Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025 Tesla rebutted the findings, but Cal/OSHA cited the company the next year for omitting hundreds of injuries listed in logs at its factory from annual summary data that the company sends each year to government regulators. Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2025 Jo Ellis, a transgender, Black Hawk pilot with the Virginia National Guard, took to Facebook to post proof of life and rebut the false accusation about her. Odette Yousef, NPR, 6 Feb. 2025 His longtime legal adviser has said that Mr. Latchford was comatose at the time and unable to rebut the charges. Mike Ives, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rebut

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French reboter, from re- + boter to butt — more at butt entry 3

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rebut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebut. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

rebut

verb
re·​but ri-ˈbət How to pronounce rebut (audio)
rebutted; rebutting
1
: to oppose by argument
2
: to prove to be wrong especially by argument or by proof that the opposite is true

Legal Definition

rebut

transitive verb
re·​but ri-ˈbət How to pronounce rebut (audio)
rebutted; rebutting
: to refute, counteract, or disprove (as opposing evidence) by evidence or argument
rebut damaging testimony
rebut a presumption
rebuttable adjective
rebuttably adverb
Etymology

Anglo-French reboter, rebuter to answer a charge, bar from an action, literally, to repulse, rebuff, from Old French reboter, from re- back + boter to push, butt

More from Merriam-Webster on rebut

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