1
as in to deny
to be unwilling to grant
the reclusive movie star usually refuses requests for interviews
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to reject
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
she refused the award, citing the hard work of others who deserved the recognition more than she did
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in garbage
discarded or useless material
refuse had littered the playground until our volunteer group cleaned it up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in discarded
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of refuse
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 7 May 2025
Insurance companies may refuse to pay for medications if they are taken for off-label purposes.
—Jessica Swirble, Verywell Health, 7 May 2025
Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025
Traffic congestion, air, water and noise pollution, excessive plastic usage, flooding, and unsatisfactory refuse collection processes, are just some of the problems the Thai capital has to contend with.
—Isabelle Kliger, Forbes, 16 Jan. 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
Verb
That hasn’t been the case for much of the last two-plus months for Minnesota, who closed the season against a parade of bad defenses and then in Round 1 got a Lakers team that couldn’t stay in front of Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle — and refused to rotate when forced to do so.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 7 May 2025
Insurance companies may refuse to pay for medications if they are taken for off-label purposes.
—Jessica Swirble, Verywell Health, 7 May 2025
Noun
When Todd tries to coax him out of the car, Indy at first refuses, displaying the sort of common sense that humans in horror films too often lack.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025
Traffic congestion, air, water and noise pollution, excessive plastic usage, flooding, and unsatisfactory refuse collection processes, are just some of the problems the Thai capital has to contend with.
—Isabelle Kliger, Forbes, 16 Jan. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refuse
Verb
-
Aside from an apology video following the release of security footage in which Combs is seen beating Cassie, the music mogul has denied all of the allegations and claimed the video has been altered.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
12 May 2025
-
Coolmore have always denied any of this was to do with them.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
11 May 2025
Verb
-
On May 16, Brown appeared in Manchester Magistrates’ Court, where Judge Joanne Hirst rejected his bail request.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
18 May 2025
-
To compound the embarrassment, Arsenal fan group Ashburton Army had raised more than £12,000 to fund their own tifo, which the club rejected (fans who had donated were refunded their money).—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Noun
-
Any actor that’s been working for over three decades has a giant garbage bag filled of pilots.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
15 May 2025
-
Bears are generally solitary, shy animals but are food-driven and often find easy meals in garbage bins.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2025
Verb
-
While the cost of groceries, on average, declined, the report found the price of dining out got more expensive and is up about 4% from the past year.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
14 May 2025
-
Rea had become a free agent when the Brewers declined their $5.5 million option for this year, deciding to instead pay him a $1 million buyout.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
Verb
-
Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year.—
Julian Chokkattu,
Wired News,
12 May 2025
-
Still, gaming’s impact on licensed music can’t be ignored.—
Kaare Eriksen,
Variety,
12 May 2025
Noun
-
Inspectors cited the Mexican restaurant for food safety violations including noticeable debris accumulation on the shelf under the salsa bar.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado,
Sacbee.com,
9 May 2025
-
Stay away from windows as flying debris generated by damaging winds can be deadly.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
Kirkland Signature is Costco's private label brand which offers a variety of products, including groceries, health and beauty products, clothing, and household items, such as trash bags and cleaning supplies.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
14 May 2025
-
Hefty Ultra Strong with Fabuloso Watermelon Scent The Hefty brand just made trash day a whole lot sweeter!—
Adam Mills,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
This anti-waste brand upcycles materials, and was founded by Kisa Sky Shiga.—
Nadja Sayej,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2022
-
Fanning out like urban guerrillas through Paris’ darkened streets well after midnight, the anti-waste activists shinny up walls and drain pipes, reaching for switches to turn off the lights. Click.—
The Christian Science Monitor,
The Christian Science Monitor,
3 Aug. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Refuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refuse. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share