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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
Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026
If the regime in Venezuela—without Maduro but still Chavista—rebuffs American demands, will Trump take further military action aimed at more fundamental change, which could plunge the country into factional violence?
—Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
The first, a Flight for Life helicopter, took run after run into the area but was rebuffed by winds and could not get to either climber.
—Alan Gionet, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
In 2019, during his first term in office, the American president proposed buying Greenland, but was rebuffed by Denmark.
—Kahina Sekkaï, Vanity Fair, 6 Jan. 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 12 Jan. 2026.
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