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Many English verbs begin with the prefix re-, meaning “again” or “backward,” so we wouldn’t criticize you for drawing a connection between rebuff and buff, a verb meaning “to polish or shine.” But rebuff would beg to differ: this word comes to us from the Middle French verb rebuffer, which traces back to the Old Italian ribuffare, meaning “to reprimand.” (Buff, in contrast, comes from the Middle French noun buffle, meaning “wild ox”). A similar word, rebuke, shares the “criticize” sense of rebuff, but not the “reject” sense; one can rebuke another’s actions or policies, but one does not rebuke the advances of another, for example. Like rebuke, rebuff can also be used as a noun, as in “The proposal was met with a stern rebuff from the Board of Trustees.”
Examples of rebuff in a Sentence
Benjamin V. Allison / Made By History, TIME, 29 Dec. 2024
Trump’s longtime, but perhaps half-hearted, bid to purchase Greenland was rebuffed in his first term.
—Ramsey Touchberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 Dec. 2024
But during the pandemic, the board unexpectedly rebuffed a controversial Pearson testing contract to admit students as young as incoming kindergarteners to gifted programs.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 12 Dec. 2024
It has been reported that free agent pitcher Walker Buehler rebuffed the Athletics’ overtures, not wanting to pitch in Sacramento.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rebuff 
Dictionary Entries Near rebuff
Cite this Entry
“Rebuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebuff. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.
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