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

When Glanville asked Steel to reveal his source of this information, Steel refused, asking instead why he hadn’t been included in the conversations. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2024

Patel would be one of many candidates under consideration for a senior role, but then-Attorney General Bill Barr refused to appoint him as deputy director of the FBI, citing his relative inexperience for the job. —David Sivak, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 22 Oct. 2024

Noun

What was once a clean ocean in the women’s youth is now an underwater desert of bleached coral and dwindling flora, ravaged by climate change and battered by floating refuse from China, Japan, and the mainland. —Geoffrey Bunting, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024

Thousands of pigs, goats, and dogs still roamed city streets in the first half of that century, feeding on refuse and decomposing filth; stories of pigs knocking over city residents and invading their homes regularly appeared in U.S. newspapers at the time. —Thomas J. Bollyky, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2020

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