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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
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
Over on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show, the talk was all about rebuffing notions that Comey’s yet unseen indictment is all about Trump punishing his critics.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
The leader reportedly pressed for a lower tariff rate, but was rebuffed.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 23 Sep. 2025
Since taking office in June, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has extended olive branches to the North, such as halting propaganda broadcasts into the North, but he has been repeatedly rebuffed.
—Anthony Kuhn, NPR, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebuff
Cite this Entry
“Rebuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebuff. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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