refuse

1 of 3

verb

re·​fuse ri-ˈfyüz 

refused; refusing

transitive verb

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

3

obsolete : give up, renounce

Deny thy father and refuse thy name!

—William Shakespeare

4

of a horse : to decline to jump or leap over

intransitive verb

: to withhold acceptance, compliance, or permission

refuser noun

refuse

2 of 3

noun

ref·​use ˈre-ˌfyüs 

-ˌfyüz

1

: the worthless or useless part of something : leavings

2

: trash, garbage

refuse

3 of 3

adjective

ref·​use ˈre-ˌfyüs 

-ˌfyüz

: thrown aside or left as worthless

Synonyms of refuse

Verb

• deny
• reject
• decline

Noun

• garbage
• debris
• trash
• rubbish
• dust
• junk
• truck
• litter
• sewage

Choose the Right Synonym for refuse

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 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

Verb

The drivers involved in the crash refused medical treatment. —Adam Harrington, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026

Despite intelligence that Saigon would be overrun by the North Vietnamese Army in a matter of days, the American Ambassador, Graham Martin, refused to prepare for an evacuation. —Louis Menand, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

Noun

But some of that refuse, the ghost recalls, found a second life in the hands of a woman named Cara. —Omari Weekes, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026

In the mid-1970s, the long net of the Florida Keys swept up a generation of countercultural refuse in a web of free love, plentiful drugs, and cheap booze. —Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026

Adjective

The refuse pile consisted of coal waste, carbonaceous shale, and coal ash. —Logan Smith, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026

Most of these refuse collectors are working 12-hour shifts doing a job no one else wants to do. —Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French refuser, from Vulgar Latin *refusare, perhaps blend of Latin refutare to refute and recusare to demur — more at recuse

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from refuser

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing refuse

• too good to refuse

Rhymes for refuse

• accrues
• accuse
• aircrews
• amuse
• bamboos
• breakthroughs
• canoes
• cashews
• chartreuse
• confuse
• construes
• defuse

Kids 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

refuse

2 of 2 noun

ref·​use ˈref-ˌyüs 

-ˌyüz

: worthless things : trash