reject

[ verb ri-jekt; noun ree-jekt ]

/ verb rɪˈdʒɛkt; noun ˈri dʒɛkt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: reject / rejected / rejecting / rejects on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to refuse to have, take, recognize, etc.: to reject the offer of a better job.

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

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.

to cast out or eject; vomit.

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

something rejected, as an imperfect article.

OTHER WORDS FOR reject

1, 2 deny.

3 repel, renounce.

4 eliminate, jettison.

8 second.

See synonyms for reject on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

synonym study for reject

1. See refuse¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM reject

re·ject·a·ble, adjectivere·ject·er, nounre·jec·tive, adjectivepre·re·ject, verb (used with object)

qua·si-re·ject·ed, adjectiveun·re·ject·a·ble, adjectiveun·re·ject·ed, adjectiveun·re·jec·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use reject in a sentence

In life, José Saramago refused to see his once-rejected book Skylight published.
The Lost Novel of Nobel-Winner José Saramago|Charles Shafaieh|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The role was originally offered to John Wayne, who rejected it for being “unpatriotic.”
Sony: Hollywood’s Most Subversive Studio Under Attack|Marlow Stern|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Brutality must be rejected as a “mistake,” but simultaneously preserved as a possible policy option.
John Brennan’s Tortured Defense of the CIA’s Torture Program|Shane Harris|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Schettino also tried to enter a plea bargain agreement, which ultimately was rejected by the Grosseto court.
The Costa Concordia’s Randy Reckless Captain Takes the Stand|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The boy feels rejected and confused, and then hits on a Christmas morning solution, delivering a penguin mate for his penguin.
How Monty The Penguin Won Christmas: Britain’s Epic, Emotional Commercials|Tim Teeman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The bill to remove the civil disabilities of the Jews rejected in the British parliament by a vote of 288 to 165.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
A physician who applied for membership in a medical society was rejected because of unprofessional conduct.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
The Gentiles shall seek and find Christ, but the Jews will persecute him, and be rejected, only a remnant shall be reserved.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
As if by mutual consent the owners of the rejected cattle slowly departed.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
In due course indemnity claims were forwarded to the military authorities, who rejected them all.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for reject

reject

verb (rɪˈdʒɛkt) (tr)

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

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 (ˈriːdʒɛkt)

something rejected as imperfect, unsatisfactory, or useless

Derived forms of reject

rejectable, adjectiverejecter or rejector, nounrejection, nounrejective, adjective

Word Origin for reject

C15: from Latin rēicere to throw back, from re- + jacere to hurl

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

reject

OTHER WORDS FOR reject

Origin of reject

synonym study for reject

OTHER WORDS FROM reject

Words related to reject

How to use reject in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for reject

Derived forms of reject

Word Origin for reject