verbless common
to not believe that something is true or real
I disbelieved his story because the details kept changing.
Common phrases & grammar
disbelieve a story · disbelieve a claim
American English
How to pronounce disbelieve
verbB2
dihsbuhLEEV
/dɪs.bəˈliv/
3 syllables · Stress the third syllable.
to not believe that something is true or real
What to listen for
The usual pronunciation is /dɪs.bəˈliv/, with the main stress on “-lieve.” You may also hear extra emphasis at the beginning: /ˌdɪs.bɪˈliv/.
Usual pronunciation/dɪs.bəˈliv/
Less common pronunciation/ˌdɪs.bɪˈliv/
Meanings & examples
Related words & forms
In everyday English, not believe is usually more natural than disbelieve.