refuse

[ri-fyooz]

verb (used with object), re·fused, re·fus·ing.

to decline to accept (something offered): to refuse an award.

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.

Obsolete. to renounce.

verb (used without object), re·fused, re·fus·ing.

to decline acceptance, consent, or compliance.

Origin of refuse

1300–50; Middle English refusen < Middle French refuser, Old French ≪ Latin refūsus, past participle of refundere to pour back; see refund¹

Related formsre·fus·a·ble, adjectivere·fus·er, nounqua·si-re·fused, adjectiveun·re·fus·a·ble, adjectiveun·re·fused, adjectiveun·re·fus·ing, adjective

Synonyms for refuse

1. rebuff. 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.

Antonyms for refuse

1. accept, welcome.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unrefusable

Contemporary Examples of unrefusable

The people of Cyprus, and their elected representatives, declined this unrefusable offer.
The Resolution of the Cyprus Banking Collapse Paves the Way for More Crises
Robert Shapiro
April 1, 2013

British Dictionary definitions for unrefusable

refuse

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); declinehe 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

Derived Formsrefusable, adjectiverefuser, noun

Word Origin for refuse

C14: from Old French refuser, from Latin refundere to pour back; see refund

refuse

noun

anything thrown away; waste; rubbish
(as modifier)a refuse collection

Word Origin for refuse

C15: from Old French refuser to refuse 1

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

Word Origin and History for unrefusable

refuse

c.1300, from Old French refuser "reject, disregard, avoid" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *refusare, frequentative form from past participle stem of Latin refundere "pour back, give back" (see refund (v.)). Related: Refused; refusing.

refuse

mid-14c., "an outcast;" mid-14c., "a rejected thing, waste material, trash," from Old French refus "waste product, rubbish; refusal, denial, rejection," a back-formation from the past participle of refuser (see refuse (v.)). As an adjective from late 14c., "despised, rejected;" early 15c., "of low quality."