refuse

¹

[ri-fyooz]

verb (used with object)

refused, refusing 

1. to decline to accept (something offered).

   to refuse an award.

   Synonyms: rebuff
   Antonyms: take, accept

2. to decline to give; deny (a request, demand, etc.).

   to refuse permission.

3. to express a determination not to (do something).

   to refuse to discuss the question.

4. to decline to submit to.

5. (of a horse) to decline to leap over (a barrier).

6. to decline to accept (a suitor) in marriage.

7. 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.

8. Obsolete.,  to renounce.

verb (used without object)

refused, refusing 

1. to decline acceptance, consent, or compliance.

refuse

²

[ref-yoos]

noun

1. something that is discarded as worthless or useless; rubbish; trash; garbage.

adjective

1. rejected as worthless; discarded.

   refuse matter.

refuse

¹

/ rɪˈfjuːz /

verb

1. (tr) to decline to accept (something offered)

   to refuse a present

   to refuse promotion

2. to decline to give or grant (something) to (a person, organization, etc)

3. (when tr, takes an infinitive) to express determination not (to do something); decline

   he refuses to talk about it

4. (of a horse) to be unwilling to take (a jump), as by swerving or stopping

5. (tr) (of a woman) to declare one's unwillingness to accept (a suitor) as a husband

refuse

²

/ ˈrɛfjuːs /

noun

1. 1. anything thrown away; waste; rubbish

   2. ( as modifier )

      a refuse collection

Other Word Forms

• refusable adjective
• refuser noun
• quasi-refused adjective
• unrefusable adjective
• unrefused adjective
• unrefusing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of refuse¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English refusen, from Middle French refuser, Old French ultimately from Latin refūsus, past participle of refundere “to pour back”; refund ¹

Origin of refuse²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English from Middle French, Old French refus “dross, waste,” derivative of refuser to refuse ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of refuse¹

C14: from Old French refuser , from Latin refundere to pour back; see _refund

Origin of refuse²

C15: from Old French refuser to _refuse ¹

Synonym Study

Refuse, decline, reject, spurn all imply nonacceptance of something. To decline is milder and more courteous than to refuse, which is direct and often emphatic in expressing determination not to accept what is offered or proposed: to refuse a bribe; to decline an invitation. To reject is even more positive and definite than refuse : to reject a suitor. To spurn is to reject with scorn: to spurn a bribe.

Example Sentences

Earlier this week, Democrats in the Senate refused to vote for a Republican short-term funding bill, which excluded an extension of enhanced premium tax credits.

From Los Angeles Times

Social workers and health visitors were sometimes refused access to Ethan, who was on the child protection register and should have been seen every 10 days.

From BBC

Democrats have refused to back the Republican spending plan unless expiring healthcare subsidies which they say many working families rely on are renewed.

From BBC

“I am just so tired of begging these lawmakers for basic human decency,” Nardone said, noting that she refuses to ever be pregnant again in South Carolina.

From Salon

He insists that Democrats are refusing to support a Republican budget bill because “they want to give hundreds of billions of dollars of health care benefits to illegal aliens.”

From Salon

Related Words

• decline 
• ignore 
• protest 
• rebuff 
• reject 
• turn down 
• withdraw 
• withhold