Did you know?
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
Todd Spangler, Variety, 28 Jan. 2026
In 2018, the state’s attorney’s office, led by Kim Foxx, rebuffed efforts by his former attorney to clear Porter, saying prosecutors believed he was properly convicted.
—Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Trump's second term has seen the president double down on his ambition to acquire the minerals-rich island -- despite Danish and Greenlandic politicians repeatedly rebuffing him.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 23 Jan. 2026
Being rejected hurts, and finding success may not erase the emotional residue of all those prior rebuffs.
—Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 22 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 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy Citation
