reject

1 of 2

verb

re·​ject ri-ˈjekt How to pronounce reject (audio)
rejected; rejecting; rejects

transitive verb

1
a
: to refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose, or use
rejected the suggestion
reject a manuscript
b
: to refuse to hear, receive, or admit : rebuff, repel
parents who reject their children
c
: to refuse as lover or spouse
2
obsolete : to cast off
3
4
: to spew out
5
: to subject to immunological rejection
rejecter noun
or rejector
rejectingly adverb
rejective adjective

reject

2 of 2

noun

re·​ject ˈrē-ˌjekt How to pronounce reject (audio)
: a rejected person or thing
especially : one rejected as not wanted, unsatisfactory, or not fulfilling requirements
Choose the Right Synonym for reject

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 reject in a Sentence

Verb My teacher rejected my excuse for being late. The committee rejected my proposal. The produce inspector rejected several crates of berries that had begun to grow mold. The college rejects hundreds of applicants each year. We rejected 5 of the 10 job applicants right away. Noun Stack the promising applications here, and put the rejects over there. was the school reject as a child and has low self-esteem even today
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The family recalled how Lugo was once entering rehab but immediately left the facility after being rejected for being trans. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024 After Riley rejected the idea, Falchuk pitched a more toned down angle for the scene. Michaela Zee, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 If the Senate rejected the appointees, Evers would name replacements. Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2024 Republicans fared far worse than expected, but instead of focusing on the liabilities of candidates backed by Mr. Trump who had pushed lies about the election system and been rejected by voters, Trump allies blamed the R.N.C. Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The bill’s author, Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of a special House committee focused on China, rejected TikTok’s assertion of a ban. Kevin Freking, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024 In one of those responses, Smith also rejected Trump’s claims that the prosecution was politically motivated. Perry Stein, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 The trio filed the application under the builder’s remedy provision in November 2022, but city officials rejected it. Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The bill's author, Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of a special House committee focused on China, rejected TikTok's assertion of a ban. Kevin Freking and Haleluya Hadero, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
In strip mall parking lots around the United States, people start lining up at 7 a.m. to dig through other people’s rejects. Caroline O'Donovan, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023 Their team, the Strikers, has a roster of rejects in hand-me-down coats and lacks good equipment, a deep bench and a coach who shows up on time. Ellen Piligian, Detroit Free Press, 7 Jan. 2024 Bright colors and geometric designs from the rejects survive in the paper casts, calling attention to the material’s recycling. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023 The grandparents had made their way in London by waiting outside stocking factories, collecting the rejects, matching up pairs, then selling them off a cart in the East End. Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2023 Traditionally, Haitians are immensely skeptical of, and often outright reject, any solutions that involve foreign boots on the ground, a reluctance justified by the country's deep and painful history with such endeavors. Matt Rivers, ABC News, 31 July 2023 Every character felt like a devil’s reject from a Rob Zombie video – until Rob Zombie himself eventually joined the roster in the 4th game – and their stories generally ended with a morbid monkey’s paw-twist on their heart’s desire. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2023 Looking like a small-time bandit/perpetual masquerade-ball reject — and breathing like Darth Vader — as one attempts to go about one's daily routine has been a notable inconvenience, no matter how lifesaving the action might be and no matter how totally cute and hip many of these masks have been. Helaine Williams, Arkansas Online, 23 May 2021 Photos that weren’t used for promotion at the time were placed in a reject box and stashed away in a file cabinet. Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reject.' 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 Latin rejectus, past participle of reicere, from re- + jacere to throw — more at jet

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

circa 1555, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reject was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near reject

Cite this Entry

“Reject.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reject. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

reject

1 of 2 verb
re·​ject ri-ˈjekt How to pronounce reject (audio)
1
: to refuse to admit, believe, or receive
2
: to throw away as useless or unsatisfactory
3
: to refuse to grant or consider
4
: to cause the rejection of by the immune system
the body of the patient started to reject the transplanted heart

reject

2 of 2 noun
re·​ject ˈrē-ˌjekt How to pronounce reject (audio)
: a rejected person or thing

Medical Definition

reject

transitive verb
re·​ject ri-ˈjekt How to pronounce reject (audio)
1
: to rebuff, repel, refuse to hear, or withhold love from
especially : to communicate negative feelings toward and a wish to be free of
parents who reject their children
2
: to subject to immunological rejection
rejected a heart transplant
rejective adjective

Legal Definition

reject

transitive verb
re·​ject ri-ˈjekt How to pronounce reject (audio)
: to refuse to accept, acknowledge, or grant compare revoke

More from Merriam-Webster on reject

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