reject
Americanverb (used with object)
-
rejects,
present (3rd person singular)
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rejected,
past participle, past
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rejecting
present participle
-
to refuse to have, take, recognize, etc..
to reject the offer of a better job.
- Synonyms:
- deny
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to refuse to grant (a request, demand, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- deny
-
to refuse to accept (someone or something); rebuff.
The other children rejected him. The publisher rejected the author's latest novel.
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to discard as useless or unsatisfactory.
The mind rejects painful memories.
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to cast out or eject; vomit.
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to cast out or off.
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Medicine/Medical. (of a human or other animal) to have an immunological reaction against (a transplanted organ or grafted tissue).
If tissue types are not matched properly, a patient undergoing a transplant will reject the graft.
noun
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rejects
plural
verb
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to refuse to accept, acknowledge, use, believe, etc
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to throw out as useless or worthless; discard
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to rebuff (a person)
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(of an organism) to fail to accept (a foreign tissue graft or organ transplant) because of immunological incompatibility
noun
Synonym Usage
See refuse 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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rejecternoun
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rejectionnoun
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prerejectverb (used with object)
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quasi-rejectedadjective
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rejectableadjective
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rejectiveadjective
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unrejectableadjective
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unrejectedadjective
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unrejectiveadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rejectsimple
-
rejectssimple
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have rejectedperfect
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has rejectedperfect
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am rejectingprogressive
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are rejectingprogressive
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is rejectingprogressive
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have been rejectingperfect progressive
-
has been rejectingperfect progressive
Past
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rejectedsimple
-
had rejectedperfect
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was rejectingprogressive
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were rejectingprogressive
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had been rejectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of reject
First recorded in 1485–95; (verb) from Latin rējectus, past participle of rējicere “to throw back,” equivalent to re- re- + jec-, combining form of jacere “to throw” + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
When you reject something, you rule it out or dismiss it. If you're trying to pick a fancy restaurant to go to for your birthday, you'll probably reject the diner you went to just yesterday. The verb reject has several shades of meaning. Reject can mean to refuse to accept or agree with something. If you don't believe space aliens are living on earth, you reject the idea — you just don't believe it. Reject can also mean to treat someone with contempt: "My former best friend rejected me to hang out with a different crowd — but I found new friends with whom I had more in common."
Vocabulary lists containing reject
Dissed List: Breakup Words for Valentine's Day
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 3
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Schooled
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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:
Because the transplanted cells came from humans, the mice were genetically modified so their immune systems would not reject them.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
“I reject the premise that you have to choose between clean air and abundant energy,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
An extraordinary result - why did MPs reject assisted dying bill this time?
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
President George W. Bush went out of his way to reject claims of collective guilt by religious or ethnic association.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
At first she dressed up like everyone else, but then she began to reject it.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
She firmly rejects the notion that she and her sister should expect an inheritance.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
And while the resources and player numbers at England dwarf those at many of their rivals, O'Shea rejects the notion that the Red Roses can ever be too strong.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
As is clear from her book’s title, Ms. Rundell rejects the idea that our reading lives should follow a linear progression toward ever-more challenging books.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
A court rejects the state’s attempt to tax based on global revenue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The more I tried to rush, the more rejects I received.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
However, the panel said it "rejected that explanation as untrue".
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
When the Colorado Supreme Court ultimately rejected this argument, the companies appealed the decision to the U.S.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
Wrapping up his defence, he rejected the charges against him and asked to be acquitted and released.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Brent oil increased as Iran said it would not soften its conditions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after President Trump rejected its proposal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
It’s not that Bobby rejected the studiousness displayed by his sister and mother.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Asked about the impact of AI, she said she believed the industry was doing a "really great job" at rejecting it, because players hated it.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
TikTok has questioned the actor's "national fame", rejecting his accusations that the account was free-riding on a well-known brand in a violation of Japan's unfair competition prevention laws.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Our punk was about rejecting the corporate mindset.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
But for me, moderation in pursuit of health was no virtue, and extremism in rejecting junk was no vice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
This probability is not even close to being sufficiently low to warrant rejecting our assumption of no ESP.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
