Other forms: rebutted, rebutting, rebuts
To rebut is to argue against a criticism. Rebut the claim, rebutted the charge, hard to rebut.
It answers rather than denies: rebutting a claim means producing reasons against it, which is why a rebuttal is expected to contain argument. In law, a rebuttable presumption is one that stands until evidence overturns it. Note that the Old French means to butt back.
1verbrebutTo argue against a criticism.
“The minister rebutted the claims, calling them completely untrue.”
rebut is an arguing against.
Old French rebuter is re plus buter, to butt or thrust. Butt and abut come from the same thrusting.
Old French
reboter
Middle English
rebutten
English, today
rebut
Built from
Middle English rebutten, rebouten, from Old French reboter, rebuter, rebouter, etc., from re- + boter, buter, bouter (“to butt”). Entered English around 1302-1307.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA