[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/disprove.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / disprove

[← D](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/D/)

# disprove

«disprove» in Mova's school dictionary: **false by giving facts or evidence** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

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

### meaning for a pupil

1) To show that an idea or statement is false by giving facts or evidence. [tree →](https://md.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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/#m2)

### sense 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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/#x1)
- One example can disprove a rule in maths. [tree →](https://md.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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/#x3)
- No one could disprove his story. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/#x4)
- Galileo helped disprove old ideas about the sky. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/#x5)
- The detective used the CCTV to disprove the alibi. [tree →](https://md.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.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «disprove» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/disprove/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.