refuse
1to decline to accept (something offered): to refuse an award.
to decline to give; deny (a request, demand, etc.): to refuse permission.
to express a determination not to (do something): to refuse to discuss the question.
to decline to submit to.
(of a horse) to decline to leap over (a barrier).
to decline to accept (a suitor) in marriage.
Military. to bend or curve back (the flank units of a military force) so that they face generally to the flank rather than the front.
Obsolete. to renounce.
to decline acceptance, consent, or compliance.
Origin of refuse
1synonym study For refuse
Other words for refuse
Opposites for refuse
Other words from refuse
- re·fus·a·ble, adjective
- re·fus·er, noun
- qua·si-re·fused, adjective
- un·re·fus·a·ble, adjective
- un·re·fused, adjective
- un·re·fus·ing, adjective
Words Nearby refuse
Other definitions for refuse (2 of 2)
rejected as worthless; discarded: refuse matter.
Origin of refuse
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use refuse in a sentence
The ruling itself won’t matter too much—the US can appeal it, and because the US is refusing to appoint new members to the WTO’s appellate board, the end result is legal limbo.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said earlier this month that Democrats refuse to go below $2 trillion.
Congress likely to ax second round of stimulus checks, according to Goldman Sachs forecast | Lance Lambert | September 8, 2020 | FortuneSome customers refuse to dine altogether if they can’t be seated outside.
So, in 2017, Coel walked away from a $1 million offer by Netflix to buy the rights to I May Destroy You after the streaming giant refused to include copyright royalties in the deal.
What we can say about younger audiences is that they refuse to define themselves by any media brand.
‘Not enough money to go around’: US digital-media publishers curb international expansion | Lucinda Southern | August 26, 2020 | Digiday
And now to this list of New York pols who refuse to go away, it may be possible to add another name: Vito Fossella.
Will Dirty Pol Vito Fossella Replace Dirty Pol Michael Grimm? | David Freedlander | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd why would its ostensible spokesperson refuse to answer yes/no questions about them?
How Canadian Oilmen Pinkwash the Keystone Pipeline | Jay Michaelson | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“I tell them they are ruining their life, but I will not refuse to do it,” Bensoussan said.
I refuse to be repeatedly mistreated especially by someone who claims to love me.
The Chris Brown vs. Drake Feud Continues: Brown Claims Ex GF Karrueche Tran Cheated with Drizzy | Marlow Stern | December 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnother time he altered the program so that the high score table would refuse to display the initials of one of his colleagues.
She thought, knowing Janet to be at liberty and never dreaming that she would refuse: "I am saved--for the present."
Hilda Lessways | Arnold BennettThey would certainly ask that question, and perhaps refuse the loan.
He shall eat butter and honey, that he may know to refuse the evil, and to choose the good.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousWell, we must try our luck with a regulation sabre; they can't well refuse it; ours is the stronger and bigger man.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsIt seemed quite the forlornest hope I had ever heard of, but Jack's distress was so acute that I hadn't the heart to refuse.
Uncanny Tales | Various
British Dictionary definitions for refuse (1 of 2)
/ (rɪˈfjuːz) /
(tr) to decline to accept (something offered): to refuse a present; to refuse promotion
to decline to give or grant (something) to (a person, organization, etc)
(when tr, takes an infinitive) to express determination not (to do something); decline: he refuses to talk about it
(of a horse) to be unwilling to take (a jump), as by swerving or stopping
(tr) (of a woman) to declare one's unwillingness to accept (a suitor) as a husband
Origin of refuse
1Derived forms of refuse
- refusable, adjective
- refuser, noun
British Dictionary definitions for refuse (2 of 2)
/ (ˈrɛfjuːs) /
anything thrown away; waste; rubbish
(as modifier): a refuse collection
Origin of refuse
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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