1
as in to deny
to be unwilling to grant
the reclusive movie star usually refuses requests for interviews
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in garbage
discarded or useless material
refuse had littered the playground until our volunteer group cleaned it up
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in discarded
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of refuse
Jack Jiang, The Conversation, 8 Jan. 2025
Trump initially refused to approve federal aid to California for wildfires in 2018 until a National Security Council staffer showed him that Orange County had a dense concentration of voters who supported him, according to Politico.
—Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Asher Price, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024
As the waters fell, thick layers of mud mixed with refuse made streets unrecognizable.
—Joseph Wilson and Teresa Medrano, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
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 
Verb
Anti-natalists, however, refuse to equate children with a stake in the future.
—Jack Jiang, The Conversation, 8 Jan. 2025
Trump initially refused to approve federal aid to California for wildfires in 2018 until a National Security Council staffer showed him that Orange County had a dense concentration of voters who supported him, according to Politico.
—Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
The big picture: The change is part of a wider city effort to divert refuse from landfills.
—Asher Price, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024
As the waters fell, thick layers of mud mixed with refuse made streets unrecognizable.
—Joseph Wilson and Teresa Medrano, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refuse
Verb
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Is there some way that the Giants and Jets can get clipped for congestion pricing over on Route 3? People who still deny that climate change is real also believe that pigs can fly.Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2025
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Maggio’s attorneys, Margaret McQuaid and Michael Clancy, filed a motion for a new trial in November that Bertani-Tomczak denied just before sentencing.Samantha Moilanen, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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But there was O’Connell, standing in front of the team, rejecting that premise and offering a message that still holds true today.Alec Lewis, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
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In the last presidential election, a member from each chamber needed to object to the count to force lawmakers to debate and vote on whether to accept or reject a state's results.Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The best response is to stand together and rally around New Orleans, showing all such extremists that their vision of the world is garbage.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 5 Jan. 2025
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Clean Cult All Purpose Cleaner Lemon Verbena (Set of 3) $15 Amazon Papaya Reusable Paper Towels Bundle (Set of 6) $54 $46 Amazon Get a combination recycling bin–trash can Keep recycling and garbage separate without the pain of multiple bins with a combination recycling bin–trash can.Bridget Reed Morawski, Architectural Digest, 3 Jan. 2025
Verb
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John Irving, an attorney for de Oliveira, declined to comment on Cannon's ruling.Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2025
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However, the state’s herd sizes had been declining for years; the dairy biodigester boom may have just helped stave off further decline.Kenny Torrella, Vox, 13 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year.Jaina Grey, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2025
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The macOS users who ignore this warning do so at their own peril.Davey Winder, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Inspectors noted that dish racks had deteriorated with significant debris buildup.Hannah Poukish, Sacramento Bee, 10 Jan. 2025
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For example, the speck-on-a-map village of Brienz in the Swiss Alps, east of Mont Blanc, finds itself in the path of a disintegrating mountainside consisting of 42 million cubic feet of debris.Paul Hockenos, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The broken furniture, old clothing, drug paraphernalia and stacks of lottery tickets inside would eventually become 22 truckloads of trash.ProPublica, ProPublica, 10 Jan. 2025
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Nothing forced him to talk a little trash before the last game.Kevin Kurz, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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This anti-waste brand upcycles materials, and was founded by Kisa Sky Shiga.Nadja Sayej, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2022
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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
Thesaurus Entries Near refuse
Cite this Entry
“Refuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refuse. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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