refuse

¹re·fuse

verb \ri-ˈfyüz\

re·fusedre·fus·ing

Definition of REFUSE

transitive verb

1

: to express oneself as unwilling to accept <refuse a gift> <refuse a promotion>

2

a : to show or express unwillingness to do or comply with <refused to answer the question>

b : deny <they were refused admittance to the game>

3

obsolete : give up, renounce <deny thy father and refuse thy name — Shakespeare>

4

of a horse : to decline to jump or leap over

intransitive verb

: to withhold acceptance, compliance, or permission

— re·fus·er noun

Examples of REFUSE

1. When they offered me the money, I couldn't refuse.
2. They asked her to help but she refused.

Origin of REFUSE

Middle English, from Anglo-French refuser, from Vulgar Latin *refusare, perhaps blend of Latin refutare to refute and recusare to demur — more at recuse

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to REFUSE

Synonyms

decline, disallow, disapprove, negative, nix, deny, reject, reprobate, withhold

Antonyms

allow, concede, grant, let, OK (or okay), permit

Related Words

ban, enjoin, forbid, prohibit, proscribe, veto; rebuff, repel, spurn; check, constrain, curb, hold, keep, repress, restrain, restrict; balk (at), hinder, impede, obstruct

Near Antonyms

afford, furnish, give, provide, supply; authorize, commission, license (also licence); accede (to), acquiesce, agree (to), assent (to), consent (to), warrant; accord, sanction, vouchsafe

See Synonym Discussion at decline

Rhymes with REFUSE

abuse, accuse, amuse, Andrews, bad news, bemuse, berceuse, chanteuse, charmeuse, chartreuse, coiffeuse, confuse, contuse, danseuse, defuse, diffuse, diseuse, disuse, effuse, enthuse, excuse, ill-use, incuse, infuse, masseuse, misuse, perfuse, peruse, recluse, recuse, reuse, short fuse, suffuse, Toulouse, transfuse, vendeuse

²ref·use

noun \ˈre-ˌfyüs, -ˌfyüz\

Definition of REFUSE

1

: the worthless or useless part of something : leavings

2

: trash, garbage

Examples of REFUSE

1. <refuse had littered the playground until our volunteer group cleaned it up>

Origin of REFUSE

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from refuser

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to REFUSE

Synonyms

chaff, deadwood, debris, dreck (also drek), dross, dust, effluvium (also effluvia), junk, litter, offal, offscouring, raffle, garbage, riffraff, rubbish, scrap, spilth, trash, truck, waste

Related Words

crud, sewage, slop, swill, wash; detritus, remains, rubble, ruins; dump, scrap heap; lumber, odds and ends, trumpery; flotsam, jetsam, wreckage; castoff, cull, discard, hand-me-down, reject, throwaway; nothing, straw, two bits

Near Antonyms

catch, gem, goody (or goodie), jewel, pearl, plum, prize, treasure, treasure trove, trove, valuable; booty, find, salvage

Rhymes with REFUSE

Aarhus, abstruse, abuse, adduce, Atreus, blue spruce, burnoose, caboose, Cayuse, Cepheus, ceruse, charmeuse, chartreuse, Chartreuse, conduce, couscous, cut loose, deduce, diffuse, disuse, educe, effuse, excuse, fair use, footloose, hang loose, induce, Lanús, misuse, mongoose, Morpheus, negus, obtuse, Orpheus, papoose, Peleus, Perseus, prepuce, produce, profuse, Proteus, Purus, recluse, red spruce, reduce, retuse, reuse, Sanctus, seduce, slip noose, snow goose, Tereus, Theseus, traduce, transduce, turn loose, unloose, vamoose

³ref·use

adjective \ˈre-ˌfyüs, -ˌfyüz\

Definition of REFUSE

: thrown aside or left as worthless

First Known Use of REFUSE

15th century