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
When Glanville asked Steel to reveal his source of this information, Steel refused, asking instead why he hadn’t been included in the conversations. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2024 Patel would be one of many candidates under consideration for a senior role, but then-Attorney General Bill Barr refused to appoint him as deputy director of the FBI, citing his relative inexperience for the job. David Sivak, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 22 Oct. 2024
Noun
What was once a clean ocean in the women’s youth is now an underwater desert of bleached coral and dwindling flora, ravaged by climate change and battered by floating refuse from China, Japan, and the mainland. Geoffrey Bunting, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024 Thousands of pigs, goats, and dogs still roamed city streets in the first half of that century, feeding on refuse and decomposing filth; stories of pigs knocking over city residents and invading their homes regularly appeared in U.S. newspapers at the time. Thomas J. Bollyky, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2020
Adjective
Cement mixers, roll-off and dump trucks, which all share a common architecture, will be built first, followed by refuse trucks and terminal tractors. Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 7 Dec. 2023 Everything is tightly regulated in Rwanda, from refuse management to social organization. Noo Saro-Wiwa, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2023 See all Example Sentences for refuse 

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 3 Nov. 2024.

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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