refuse

1 of 3

verb

re·​fuse ri-ˈfyüz How to pronounce refuse (audio)
refused; refusing

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
: to not allow someone to have or do (something) : deny
they were refused admittance to the game
3
obsolete : give up, renounce
deny thy father and refuse thy nameWilliam Shakespeare
4
of a horse : to decline to jump or leap over

intransitive verb

: to withhold acceptance, compliance, or permission
refuser noun

refuse

2 of 3

noun

ref·​use ˈre-ˌfyüs How to pronounce refuse (audio)
-ˌfyüz
1
: the worthless or useless part of something : leavings
2

refuse

3 of 3

adjective

ref·​use ˈre-ˌfyüs How to pronounce refuse (audio)
-ˌfyüz
: thrown aside or left as worthless
Choose the Right Synonym for refuse

decline, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn mean to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering.

decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations.

declined his party's nomination

refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for.

refused to lend them the money

reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding.

rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance.

teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation.

spurned his overtures of friendship

Examples of refuse in a Sentence

Verb When they offered me the money, I couldn't refuse. They asked her to help but she refused. Noun refuse had littered the playground until our volunteer group cleaned it up
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
There was comfort for Onana in that his manager Erik ten Hag refused to blame the goalkeeper when asked by the press. Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the settlement that ended the Vietnam War, jointly receiving the award with Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam, who refused the honor. Phil Helsel, NBC News, 30 Nov. 2023 When Spitzer tried to drop the rape charges, however, Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones refused to let him and questioned his ability to handle the case, considering the bitter political feud in which it was entangled. Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2023 The advocates and physicians also complained that, while Vertex maintained its donation program is a workable solution, the executives refused to disclose details about the extent of the initiative and how many people are benefiting. $30 for your first 3 months. Ed Silverman, STAT, 28 Nov. 2023 Meanwhile, Jassy himself suggested in August that the prospects of employees who refused to comply with the rules were dim. Chloe Taylor, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2023 One potential catalyst would be evidence that inflation is refusing to return to the Federal Reserve’s target, which could encourage the central bank to keep interest rates at high levels next year. Joe Wallace, WSJ, 28 Nov. 2023 Netanyahu, despite growing international pressure, repeatedly refused to consider a cease-fire without the release of hostages. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2023 Hollman refused to sign the citation, an arrestable offense at the time of the incident, according to APD. Deena Zaru, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2023
Noun
Across the city, residential trash pickup in many cases was canceled, delaying refuse removal schedules by one day for the remainder of the week. David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2023 Residents of District 3 should leave their refuse at 153 Flint River Road in Riverdale, while citizens of District 4 need to leave their trash at 1303 Government Circle in Jonesboro. Leon Stafford, ajc, 7 Apr. 2023 The data includes samples from the world's five major gyres, or current systems, which sweep particles from inhabited areas to create large collections of refuse. Michael Birnbaum The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 12 Mar. 2023 All hazardous material removed during this first phase must be loaded into containers and shipped to licensed disposal sites on the mainland, because the island does not have a facility to handle such refuse. Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2023 The refuse comes from all over the state, and farther afield, but its single biggest source is New York City, which sent about a quarter of the total haul in 2021, averaging about 1,500 tons daily. Jesse McKinley Lauren Petracca, New York Times, 17 Sep. 2023 The best way to avoid those clogs is to close the sink drain during a shave, then wipe up the refuse and throw it in the trash. 3. Rachel Kurzius, Anchorage Daily News, 30 May 2023 Surely, there’s someplace nearby that can serve as the eternal resting spot for such refuse, right? Bill Donahue, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Jan. 2023 They have also been found with many non-food items in their stomachs, including metal objects, plastics, burlap sacks and other refuse. Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 18 June 2023
Adjective
Everything is tightly regulated in Rwanda, from refuse management to social organization. Noo Saro-Wiwa, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2023 The initial one of these Lunaz is focusing on is refuse collection. James Morris, Forbes, 1 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'refuse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from refuser

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of refuse was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near refuse

Cite this Entry

“Refuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refuse. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

refuse

1 of 2 verb
re·​fuse ri-ˈfyüz How to pronounce refuse (audio)
refused; refusing
1
: to say one will not accept : reject
refused the money
2
a
: to show or express positive unwillingness
refused to act
b
: to say one will not grant : deny
was refused entrance
3
: to withhold the accepting, following, or permitting of something
refuser noun

refuse

2 of 2 noun
ref·​use ˈref-ˌyüs How to pronounce refuse (audio)
-ˌyüz
: worthless things : trash

More from Merriam-Webster on refuse

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