1
as in to deny
to be unwilling to grant
the reclusive movie star usually refuses requests for interviews
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of refuse
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
Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
When victims, some of whom lost millions, refused to pay, the mob defendants resorted to violence, the NYPD said.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 23 Oct. 2025
Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2025
This follows its Protect Our Beaches campaign, in partnership with Oceanic Global, that conducts regular beach cleanups removing more than one million pounds of refuse from shorelines around the country.
—Ramsey Qubein, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refuse
Verb
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
Noun
Congressional Democrats have refused to allow the federal government, now shuttered for three weeks, to reopen until those cuts are restored.
—Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
When victims, some of whom lost millions, refused to pay, the mob defendants resorted to violence, the NYPD said.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Spoiled by the chefs in the test kitchen, at times my pile was more kitchen scraps than yard refuse.
—Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2025
This follows its Protect Our Beaches campaign, in partnership with Oceanic Global, that conducts regular beach cleanups removing more than one million pounds of refuse from shorelines around the country.
—Ramsey Qubein, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refuse
Verb
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The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Rose has denied many of the allegations and the case is ongoing.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
At that meeting, Buchanan's reappointment to a full five-year term on the housing authority's board was rejected in a 6-2 decision, with two city directors absent.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Oct. 2025
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Scholtes rejected a second-degree murder plea deal in March 2025 that would have resulted in a sentence of 10 to 25 years, according to previous reporting by The Arizona Republic.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
After an effort to create a Falls of the Ohio national park fell short in 1967, Kentucky and Indiana officials struggled to stop the falls from becoming a garbage dump.—
Leo Bertucci,
Louisville Courier Journal,
25 Oct. 2025
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Generally, what happens to the White House’s trash is secret—at least as of 2018, which was apparently the last time the federal government released any information on where Oval Office garbage goes.—
Nancy Walecki,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In another development, researchers in the US developed a new method that could turn discarded data center hardware into a reliable, eco-friendly source of rare earths and valuable metals.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Contract options exercised for 4 The club exercised contract options on Stephen Afrifa, Zorhan Bassong, Jansen Miller and John Pulskamp, while declining options for Tim Leibold, Nemanja Radoja, Ryan Schewe, Shelton and Mason Toye.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
23 Oct. 2025
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However, her cousin the followed up, and the OP wrote back declining the invite.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Over the summer the FDA convened a panel on the safety of certain antidepressants in pregnancy that tried to cast doubt on this research, ignoring the real harms of not treating depression or anxiety for pregnant people themselves and for their fetuses.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
23 Oct. 2025
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But the writers, like Noah and Joanne, are ignoring that fundamental fork in the road in favor of inane high jinks from the couple and their increasingly irksome friends and family.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There’s a lot of stuff in the ocean, and marine debris tends to aggregate in the same places as does the whale sharks’ primary prey.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
24 Oct. 2025
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Next, vacuum the filter using a soft-bristle brush attachment to remove the bulk of the dust and debris buildup.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In a photo posted by MLB insider Ben Verlander, Yamamoto is seen with his pitcher's glove picking up trash after his fantastic start.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
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As a plus, the mats can be washed and reused instead of going in the trash.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refuse. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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