REFU'TE, verb transitive [Latin refuto; re and futo, obsolete The primary sense of futo, is to drive or thrust, to beat back.] To disprove and overthrow by argument, evidence or countervailing proof; to prove to be false or erroneous; to confute. We say, to refute arguments, to refute testimony, to refute opinions or theories, to refute a disputant. There were so many witnesses to these two miracles, that it is impossible to refute such multitudes.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI