debunk

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Etymology

From de- + bunk (from bunkum, from Buncombe County) 1923.

Pronunciation

• (British) IPA: /diːˈbʌŋk/, /diːˈbʊŋk/
• (US) enPR: dĭ-bŭngkʹ, dē-bŭngkʹ, IPA: /dɪˈbʌŋk/, /ˌdiːˈbʌŋk/

Verb

debunk (debunks, present participle debunking; simple past and past participle debunked)

1. (transitive) To discredit, or expose to ridicule the falsehood or the exaggerated claims of something.

   The explosion story was thoroughly debunked on National Public Radio in November 1999.

   debunk a theory

Translations

• French: dévoiler, se déconsidérer, mettre en pièces, réduire à néant, jeter l'opprobre sur, se discréditer
• German: entlarven, diskreditieren, demaskieren, bloßlegen, entschleiern
• Italian: screditare, ridicolizzare, sbugiardare, demistificare, sbufalare
• Portuguese: desacreditar
• Russian: развенчивать
• Spanish: desacreditar, ridiculizar, hacer añicos, desbaratar, hacer trizas, despedazar, destrozar, desprestigiar, desmentir

Noun

debunk (plural debunks)

1. (informal) A debunking; the act by which something is debunked.

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