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:
The head of Universal’s largest shareholder, the Bollore Group, had also urged the company to rebuff the offer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
They are seen as North Korea's latest rebuff of South Korea's peace overtures, according to analysts.
From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026
Not only did the University of California regents rebuff the stadium bid, they also decreed that no structure built on the Drake Stadium footprint could later be enlarged into a football stadium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025
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
“But will not the Count take his rebuff wisely? Since he has been driven from England, will he not avoid it, as a tiger does the village from which he has been hunted?”
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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
Like the Gambian, Sarr is a right-sided winger and the Reds initially enquired about the Senegal international last week, but that was rebuffed by Crystal Palace.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
To date, Mexican officials have rebuffed a Justice Department request that Rocha Moya, 77, be detained pending his extradition to the United States.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
The military’s missing-persons committee wrote to the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross asking the organization to visit the pilots after saying its own efforts have been rebuffed by Qatar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Barcelona's latest Rodri bid rejected, Tottenham's Djed Spence on verge of Inter Milan move, Arsenal rebuffed in bid for Marc Pubill, plus more.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Mr. de Klerk sent us back a memo asking for a face-to-face meeting with me, which we rebuffed.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
American Airlines late Friday took the unusual step of rebuffing a merger before it was even made.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 20, 2026
Coventry also kept their best players, rebuffing Sheffield United's bids for Bobby Thomas while Milan van Ewijk stayed despite Wolfsburg interest.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
YouTube, meanwhile, has likened itself to television during the trial, rebuffing the idea of equating it with online social media platforms.
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 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
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
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.
