reject

American  

[ri-jekt, ree-jekt] / rɪˈdʒɛkt, ˈri dʒɛkt /

verb (used with object)

1. to refuse to have, take, recognize, etc..

   to reject the offer of a better job.

   Synonyms:

   deny

2. to refuse to grant (a request, demand, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   deny

3. to refuse to accept (someone or something); rebuff.

   The other children rejected him. The publisher rejected the author's latest novel.

   Synonyms:

   renounce, repel

4. to discard as useless or unsatisfactory.

   The mind rejects painful memories.

   Synonyms:

   jettison, eliminate

5. to cast out or eject; vomit.

6. to cast out or off.

7. 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.

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noun

1. something rejected, as an imperfect article.

   Synonyms:

   second

reject British  

verb

1. to refuse to accept, acknowledge, use, believe, etc

2. to throw out as useless or worthless; discard

3. to rebuff (a person)

4. (of an organism) to fail to accept (a foreign tissue graft or organ transplant) because of immunological incompatibility

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noun

1. something rejected as imperfect, unsatisfactory, or useless

Related Words

See refuse ¹.

Other Word Forms

• prereject verb (used with object)
• quasi-rejected adjective
• rejectable adjective
• rejecter noun
• rejection noun
• rejective adjective
• unrejectable adjective
• unrejected adjective
• unrejective adjective

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."

Example Sentences

“So here I appeal to all countries to reject go-it-alone actions—export controls, price controls, and so on—that can further upset global conditions: don’t pour gasoline on the fire.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

As women became more common on stage, audiences began to reject male actors in female roles.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

But still, I’m not sure we should reject the impulse to explore extreme ideas to stop global heating, since the current consensus seems to be doing next to nothing.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

The plan is not binding but serves as a statement of the administration's priorities as Congress begins drafting spending legislation, with lawmakers retaining the power to rewrite or reject it.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Europeans expected me to regularly wash my hands with prepackaged towelettes and to automatically reject all unpasteurized dairy products.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• deny
• dismiss
• rebuff
• refuse
• renounce
• repudiate
• scrap
• spurn
• turn down
• veto