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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
Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
At the March 10 school board meeting, District 219 Board President Amber Wood rebuffed the decision.
—Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
The memorandum also details two former employees who came to Lauer with concerns about the company’s ethics and operations, only to be rebuffed.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 6 Mar. 2026
And this month, the Berlinale film festival was embroiled in tensions after its jury president, the director Wim Wenders, responded to a question about Gaza by rebuffing calls to criticize Israel.
—Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 2 Mar. 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 14 Mar. 2026.
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