refuse

1 of 3

verb

re·​fuse ri-ˈfyüz 

refused; refusing

transitive verb

1

: to express oneself as unwilling to accept

refuse a gift

refuse a promotion

2

a

: to show or express unwillingness to do or comply with

refused to answer the question

b

: to not allow someone to have or do (something) : deny

they were refused admittance to the game

3

obsolete : give up, renounce

deny thy father and refuse thy name

—William Shakespeare

4

of a horse : to decline to jump or leap over

intransitive verb

: to withhold acceptance, compliance, or permission

refuser noun

refuse

2 of 3

noun

ref·​use ˈre-ˌfyüs 

-ˌfyüz

1

: the worthless or useless part of something : leavings

2

: trash, garbage

refuse

3 of 3

adjective

ref·​use ˈre-ˌfyüs 

-ˌfyüz

: thrown aside or left as worthless

Synonyms

Verb

• decline
• deny
• disallow
• disapprove
• negative
• nix
• reject
• reprobate
• withhold

Noun

• chaff
• deadwood
• debris
• dreck
• drek
• dross
• dust
• effluvium
• effluvia
• garbage
• junk
• litter
• offal
• offscouring
• raffle
• riffraff
• rubbish
• scrap
• spilth
• trash
• truck
• waste

Choose the Right Synonym for refuse

decline, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn mean to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering.

decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations.

declined his party's nomination

refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for.

refused to lend them the money

reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding.

rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance.

teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation.

spurned his overtures of friendship

Examples of refuse in a Sentence

Verb

When they offered me the money, I couldn't refuse.

They asked her to help but she refused.

Noun

refuse had littered the playground until our volunteer group cleaned it up

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Zoom in: Harris and her staff have refused to detail her position on more than a dozen of her previous stances the past three months in response to questions by Axios. —Alex Thompson, Axios, 3 Nov. 2024

Bader Ginsburg, who was one of the most liberal Supreme Court justices, refused to retire during eight years of the Obama presidency. —David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024

Noun

The big picture: The change is part of a wider city effort to divert refuse from landfills. —Asher Price, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024

As the waters fell, thick layers of mud mixed with refuse made streets unrecognizable. —Joseph Wilson and Teresa Medrano, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024

Adjective

Cement mixers, roll-off and dump trucks, which all share a common architecture, will be built first, followed by refuse trucks and terminal tractors. —Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 7 Dec. 2023

Everything is tightly regulated in Rwanda, from refuse management to social organization. —Noo Saro-Wiwa, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French refuser, from Vulgar Latin *refusare, perhaps blend of Latin refutare to refute and recusare to demur — more at recuse

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from refuser

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing refuse

• too good to refuse

Kids Definition

refuse

1 of 2 verb

re·​fuse ri-ˈfyüz 

refused; refusing

1

: to say one will not accept : reject

refused the money

2

a

: to show or express positive unwillingness

refused to act

b

: to say one will not grant : deny

was refused entrance

3

: to withhold the accepting, following, or permitting of something

refuser noun

refuse

2 of 2 noun

ref·​use ˈref-ˌyüs 

-ˌyüz

: worthless things : trash