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# disprove

verb (disprove, disproves, disproved, disproving; past participle disproved or disproven)

«disprove» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To show that an idea or statement is false by giving facts or evidence. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/#m1)
2. (maths and science) To show a rule does not always work, often by finding one counterexample. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science, experiments can disprove an idea (a hypothesis); a good scientist changes their mind when the evidence disproves them. In maths, one counterexample disproves a rule: «All odd numbers are prime» is disproved by 9. In arguments and debates, you try to disprove the other side's claims with evidence.

### Examples

- The experiment disproved the idea that heavy things fall faster. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/#x1)
- One example can disprove a rule in maths. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/#x2)
- The number 9 disproves the claim that all odd numbers are prime. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/#x3)
- No one could disprove his story. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/#x4)
- Galileo helped disprove old ideas about the sky. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/#x5)
- The detective used the CCTV to disprove the alibi. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/#x6)

### Note

Opposite: «prove». «Disproved» and «disproven» are both fine as past participles. Proving something is true usually needs much more than disproving it.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «disprove» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«disprove» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/disprove.html) on Mova free.