reject
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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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
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
-
to rebuff (a person)
-
(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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quasi-rejectedadjective
-
rejectableadjective
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rejectiveadjective
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unrejectableadjective
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unrejectedadjective
-
unrejectiveadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rejectsimple
-
rejectssimple
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have rejectedperfect
-
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
-
rejectedsimple
-
had rejectedperfect
-
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.
She anticipated that state officials would request additional documentation, reject her initial application, or even force her through an appeals process.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026
As a flotilla of tall ships glided by behind him, he asked Americans to "reject the two-dimensional view of your fellow citizens and reject the two-dimensional view of your country."
From Barron's • Jul. 4, 2026
It says the "decision to reject a major screening programme was made by a committee that did not contain a single prostate cancer expert".
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026
Notably, all nine Justices reject B.P.J.’s challenge that the West Virginia law violates Title IX, the 1972 law mandating equality in men’s and women’s education.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
Of asking to see James and having him reject her.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
