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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
W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 2 Oct. 2025
After years of rebuffing clubs, Schmidt finally dealt third baseman Ryan McMahon to the Yankees this summer.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
As an example, Collier brought up her memory of a private conversation with Engelbert, claiming the commissioner had rebuffed her concerns around player pay.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Antonoff appeared to rebuff this assertion, especially in light of the way the extremely active resale markets often push prices to exorbitantly high points.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 25 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 9 Oct. 2025.
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