debunk

verb

de·bunk (ˌ)dē-ˈbəŋk

debunked; debunking; debunks

Synonyms of debunk next

transitive verb

: 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.

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

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.

Lead Stories, PolitiFact and Check Your Fact debunked versions of the claim. —

Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2025 Though two experts debunked this myth with Newsweek. —

Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025 Kennedy, who ran for the Democratic nomination then as an independent candidate before dropping out and endorsing Trump, espouses debunked views on public health—including skepticism about the efficacy of childhood vaccines and the Covid-19 vaccine. —

Sara Dorn, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025 This was another astonishing claim that NPR investigated and debunked. —

Frank Langfitt, NPR, 11 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for debunk