refuse
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
refuses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
refused,
past participle, past
-
refusing
present participle
-
to decline to accept (something offered).
to refuse an award.
- Synonyms:
- rebuff
-
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.
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Obsolete. to renounce.
verb (used without object)
-
refuses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
refused,
past participle, past
-
refusing
present participle
noun
adjective
verb
-
(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
noun
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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refusernoun
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quasi-refusedadjective
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refusableadjective
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unrefusableadjective
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unrefusedadjective
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unrefusingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
refusesimple
-
refusessimple
-
have refusedperfect
-
has refusedperfect
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am refusingprogressive
-
are refusingprogressive
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is refusingprogressive
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have been refusingperfect progressive
-
has been refusingperfect progressive
Past
-
refusedsimple
-
had refusedperfect
-
was refusingprogressive
-
were refusingprogressive
-
had been refusingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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”; see 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
Explanation
To refuse is to decline, deny, reject, or resist. If a stranger offers you candy, you should politely refuse. As a noun, refuse (pronounced REF-yooss) is food waste, scraps, or garbage. As a verb, refuse (pronounced ree-FYOOZ) means to reject. If you’re mad at me, you’ll probably refuse my invitation to hang out. If your fashion sense isn't up to date, the bouncer at an exclusive nightclub might refuse entry to you. If you’re sick and you need a kidney transplant, your doctor will give you drugs to stop your body from refusing the donor kidney.
Vocabulary lists containing refuse
"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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"The Civil Rights Movement"
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"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
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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:
Interviews with people who refuse to be identified are the opposite of “on-the-record.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Because of both legal and reputational risks, frontier AI providers in the U.S. have incentives to monitor activity, refuse assistance and terminate malicious accounts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The inquiry was shown an internal NHS England email from 2022 in which one staff member said they had been aware of trusts where patients were "not being given the choice to refuse being filmed".
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Google said Argon is designed to refuse requests that could help carry out cyberattacks or develop chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
“Always interfering where she wasn’t wanted. And now, look at her. I could help her, of course. It would be easy. Therefore, it gives me no small amount of pleasure to refuse to do so.”
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
But he refuses to listen and marries her anyway.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Your options if your custodian refuses a direct transfer are keeping the funds with that custodian or withdrawing them and paying the tax.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
It's early on in her career, and Destiny refuses to disclose precisely what she is earning, but says she's already making money.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
"It's necessary to support a struggle against the indifference of a government that refuses to accept that there is a disappearance crisis," said 69-year-old Atanacio Pina, whose missing son was later found dead.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
It also refuses to make any other number bigger.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
But perhaps the most damning testimonial comes from Musk himself – or rather, existing audio recordings of Musk delivered by an AI version of the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, since he refused to participate.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
It began when he was rejected by a pilot school at 17 because he refused to pay a bribe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Fillol said her landlord refused to make repairs, telling her and the other tenants they would struggle to find affordable alternatives.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
The woman, who also reported it to the league, alleged that Jackson refused to delete the video and taunted her with it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Because he was all sour about coming to Nana’s today, and he refused to come outside with me.”
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
The Saudi ministry official went on to accuse the Houthis of refusing to meet as fighting ramped up between the two sides.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
She said she would not hesitate "to impose further measures on other countries refusing to co-operate".
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, alleging the agency is unlawfully refusing to return their documents and personal items long after they were released from custody.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Am I being selfish for refusing to leave the house, or a good part of it, to my aunt’s children?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
I slept and the house turned dark and silent, but Mom lay next to me, refusing to leave my side.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
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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.
