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Many English verbs begin with the prefix re-, meaning “again” or “backward,” so we wouldn’t criticize you for drawing a connection between rebuff and buff, a verb meaning “to polish or shine.” But rebuff would beg to differ: this word comes to us from the Middle French verb rebuffer, which traces back to the Old Italian ribuffare, meaning “to reprimand.” (Buff, in contrast, comes from the Middle French noun buffle, meaning “wild ox”). A similar word, rebuke, shares the “criticize” sense of rebuff, but not the “reject” sense; one can rebuke another’s actions or policies, but one does not rebuke the advances of another, for example. Like rebuke, rebuff can also be used as a noun, as in “The proposal was met with a stern rebuff from the Board of Trustees.”
Examples of rebuff in a Sentence
Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
The video that was clipped online cuts out Khanna’s response, where the congressman rebuffs the woman’s comments.
—Sydney Topf, The Washington Examiner, 13 Apr. 2026
But when the Tasker hit submit on the form, he too was rebuffed by the reCaptcha.
—Amanda Gefter, Quanta Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026
On March 18, The Athletic reported the Bucks asked Antetokounmpo to shut himself down for the remainder of the season, but the star forward rebuffed the idea.
—Eric Nehm, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rebuff
Cite this Entry
“Rebuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebuff. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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