refused; refusing
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
4
of a horse
: to decline to jump or leap over
: to withhold acceptance, compliance, or permission
refuser
noun
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
ArsTechnica, 7 July 2025
In both cases, as there was no misconduct, there were no apologies offered and no admission of guilt, in an effort to protect their reputations by refusing contrition for their journalism.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 7 July 2025
Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 3 July 2025
Garbage/refuse containers not covered as required. PHYSICAL FACILITIES INSTALLED, MAINTAINED AND CLEAN: Employee clothing/possessions not stored properly.
—Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for refuse
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Prioritizing TikTok Shop's growth could motivate ByteDance to back down from refusing to sell the app, but ultimately, China would still need to sign off, Trump has said.
—ArsTechnica, 7 July 2025
In both cases, as there was no misconduct, there were no apologies offered and no admission of guilt, in an effort to protect their reputations by refusing contrition for their journalism.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 7 July 2025
Noun
Trash has overwhelmed cities, and incinerating the refuse can release toxic material into the environment, van Hees said.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 3 July 2025
Garbage/refuse containers not covered as required. PHYSICAL FACILITIES INSTALLED, MAINTAINED AND CLEAN: Employee clothing/possessions not stored properly.
—Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
Adjective
Officials with the city’s Bureau of Sanitation said the existing trash fees have not been generating enough money to cover the true cost of refuse collection.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for refuse
Cite this Entry
“Refuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refuse. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
refuse
1 of 2 verb
re·fuse
ri-ˈfyüz 
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share