reject
Americanverb (used with object)
-
rejects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rejected,
past participle, past
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rejecting
present participle
-
to refuse to have, take, recognize, etc..
to reject the offer of a better job.
- Synonyms:
- deny
-
to refuse to grant (a request, demand, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- deny
-
to refuse to accept (someone or something); rebuff.
The other children rejected him. The publisher rejected the author's latest novel.
-
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.
-
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
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rejects
plural
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
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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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prerejectverb (used with object)
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quasi-rejectedadjective
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rejectableadjective
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rejectiveadjective
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unrejectableadjective
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unrejectedadjective
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unrejectiveadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rejectsimple
-
rejectssimple
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have rejectedperfect
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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
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has been rejectingperfect progressive
Past
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rejectedsimple
-
had rejectedperfect
-
was rejectingprogressive
-
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.
See Examples For:
Asked whether he would say sorry for his "disrespectful behaviour" in parliament on Tuesday, the Australian leader said: "I reject the assertion in the question."
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Those who know Warsh say he would reject both explanations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Murrill has been pushing the court since September 2024 to reject his compensation claim and also to reinstate a manslaughter charge against him.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
Cassidy next noted that Blanche, who has led the DOJ in an acting capacity since April, could continue to do so even if senators reject him.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
I keep trying to come up with something to say, but nothing seems right, and I reject so many words I end up staying silent.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
With Ovy, Karol revived the shadowy timbre of her joint Shakira track “TQG” into the new “Bebiendo Lágrimas,” a reggaeton song that adamantly rejects the notion of love.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
James Frey’s manager, conversely, rejects comparisons to Strangers and The Tell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Mazumdar also rejects the idea that the protests are post-ideological.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
But Hezbollah rejects the agreement outright despite Lebanese government pressure, lowering expectations of success in the negotiations.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
I complimented them both generously and helped by returning the rejects to their racks.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
In the last deal, he rejected the city’s request to rename the team the Anaheim Angels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The Estonian government has rejected the idea of taking prisoners from the UK to help ease the overcrowding crisis in British jails.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
U.S. regulators have rejected Bunq’s request for a U.S. banking license, citing supervisory and compliance concerns, in a setback for the Dutch fintech company’s plans to expand in the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
The news arrives a little more than three months after the video-game retailer made its $56 billion offer to buy eBay, which eBay rejected several days later.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
But all rejected that counsel when Odysseus brought back the answer.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Altomare said students with private Italian sponsors are also not being evacuated, questioning the rationale for rejecting such applicants.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
As the fused worms began rejecting foreign tissue, Chai detected a rise in activin followed by chronic inflammation.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
Investigators said the breach was limited, involving about 40-50 people, and the Supreme Court ruled the exam's overall integrity remained intact, rejecting calls for a re-test.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
He wrote the court’s four major rulings rejecting discrimination based on sexual orientation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West may indeed have been an “incongruity,” as the directors had declared in rejecting his request for a concession within Jackson Park, but the citizens of Chicago had fallen in love.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
