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
Our suggestion was immediately rebuffed.
The company rebuffed the bid.
She rebuffed him when he asked her for a date.
Recent Examples on the WebCrypto companies have been practically begging to be let into the front door of the U.S. compliance and regulatory regime, been rebuffed, and then faced expensive legal consequences for stepping over an invisible line.—Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 We were repeatedly rebuffed, mocked, and told there were no supplies to be had.—Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 11 Oct. 2024 After Pence rebuffed Trump, a mob of the then-president’s supporters stormed the Capitol and derailed the election certification.—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2024 Loading your audio article The conference was rebuffed by the Rebels and needs one more football-playing school to meet NCAA requirements.—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for rebuff
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rebuff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle French rebuffer, from Old Italian ribuffare to reprimand, from ribuffo reprimand
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