rebuff
Americannoun
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rebuffs
plural
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a blunt or abrupt rejection, as of a person making advances.
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a peremptory refusal of a request, offer, etc.; snub.
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a check to action or progress.
verb (used with object)
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rebuffs,
present (3rd person singular)
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rebuffed,
past participle, past
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rebuffing
present participle
verb
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to snub, reject, or refuse (a person offering help or sympathy, an offer of help, etc) abruptly or out of hand
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to beat back (an attack); repel
noun
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a blunt refusal or rejection; snub
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any sudden check to progress or action
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rebuffsimple
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rebuffssimple
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have rebuffedperfect
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has rebuffedperfect
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am rebuffingprogressive
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are rebuffingprogressive
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is rebuffingprogressive
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have been rebuffingperfect progressive
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has been rebuffingperfect progressive
Past
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rebuffedsimple
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had rebuffedperfect
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was rebuffingprogressive
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were rebuffingprogressive
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had been rebuffingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rebuff
1580–90; < Middle French rebuffer < Italian ribuffare to disturb, reprimand, derivative of ribuffo (noun), equivalent to ri- re- + buffo puff; see buffoon
Explanation
If you rebuff someone, you reject or snub him. You might decide to rebuff a classmate's invitation to the dance after hearing him gossip meanly about a friend. Although the verb rebuff is a somewhat old fashioned one to use for social relationships, it's still common in the world of diplomacy. One country's rebuff of another might start a war, or end peace talks, or otherwise reverberate through the world of international relations. You can also use rebuff as a noun — deliberately ignoring your sister's text message is one example of a rebuff. The Italian root word, ribuffo, combines ri, expressing opposition, and buffo, "a puff."
Vocabulary lists containing rebuff
Dissed List: Breakup Words for Valentine's Day
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A Raisin in the Sun
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This Week in Words: December 30, 2017 - January 5, 2018
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
To eliminate a state agency, Hilton would need legislative approval, although he says that if Sacramento lawmakers were to rebuff his efforts, he could use the budget to slash the DMV’s operations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Cyrille Bollore, chief executive of top UMG shareholder the Bollore Group BOL 0.83%increase; green up pointing triangle , had urged the company to rebuff the offer, arguing that Ackman’s proposal undervalued it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
Taiwan rolled out the red carpet for Paraguay President Santiago Pena on Friday, as the democratic island shores up ties with its only South American ally in a rebuff to China's diplomatic pressure.
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
And those limits create a “judicial responsibility” for courts to rebuff the president when he deploys the Guard “in a situation far divorced” from what Congress envisioned.
From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2025
I almost expected a rebuff for this hardly well-timed question, but, on the contrary, waking out of his scowling abstraction, he turned his eyes towards me, and the shade seemed to clear off his brow.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
When she rebuffs him by calling him an animal, he smiles widely, showcasing fangs one could rightly describe as gorgeous, and coos, “We are all animals, my lady.”
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
New Palace manager Pierre Sage will hope the club rebuffs any potential suitors.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Even though Davis is repeatedly asked who will take over from Rufus, she rebuffs the question.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
At the beginning of the film, Mr. Banks rebuffs his children when they ask him to repair their kite.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
I met no rebuffs, only gentleness when they informed me they could not use my services as typist, bookkeeper, etc.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
Acton has said the last time she saw her mother was in the courtroom after her stepfather was charged, when her mother rebuffed her kiss.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
The new figures came as Indonesian officials rebuffed calls to declare the fires a national disaster and said the country was "still capable of handling the situation ourselves" after neighbouring Malaysia again offered assistance.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026
Several years ago, both Japan and South Korea rebuffed U.S. overtures to invest in the Alaskan pipeline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
On the Avio earnings call, Ranzo said that customers rebuffed by SpaceX used the recent International Space Summit in Paris to lobby European officials to encourage them to buy locally.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 20, 2026
Pitipiti went to take gifts to the children, but she was rebuffed by the new wife.
From "The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa" by Alexander Mccall Smith
American Airlines late Friday took the unusual step of rebuffing a merger before it was even made.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 20, 2026
On Saturday, local police were determined to draw a line, rushing to the scene of Pretti’s shooting to secure evidence of a potential crime, rebuffing demands by federal agents to leave.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
Cuba wasted no time in rebuffing the proposal.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2025
Pyongyang has upped the ante in recent weeks, with leader Kim Jong Un's sister rebuffing efforts towards reconciliation made by Lee's government.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2025
He was angry with Desdemona for rebuffing him and he was angry at himself for being angry at her, because he knew she was right.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
