refuse
Use Refuse in a sentence
verb (used with object)
1.
to decline to accept (something offered): to refuse an award.
2.
to decline to give; deny (a request, demand, etc.): to refuse permission.
3.
to express a determination not to (do something): to refuse to discuss the question.
4.
to decline to submit to.
5.
(of a horse) to decline to leap over (a barrier).
6.
to decline to accept (a suitor) in marriage.
7.
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.
8.
Obsolete. to renounce.
verb (used without object)
9.
to decline acceptance, consent, or compliance.
00:10
Refuse
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English refusen < Middle French refuser, Old French ≪ Latin refūsus, past participle of refundere to pour back; see refund1
1300–50; Middle English refusen < Middle French refuser, Old French ≪ Latin refūsus, past participle of refundere to pour back; see refund1
Related forms
re·fus·a·ble, adjective
re·fus·er, noun
qua·si-re·fused, adjective
un·re·fus·a·ble, adjective
un·re·fused, adjective
Synonyms
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.
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
1. accept, welcome.
1. accept, welcome.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
yus noun
1.
something that is discarded as worthless or useless; rubbish; trash; garbage.
adjective
2.
rejected as worthless; discarded: refuse matter.
Origin:
1325–75; Middle English < Middle French; Old French refus denial, rejection, derivative of refuser to refuse1
1325–75; Middle English < Middle French; Old French refus denial, rejection, derivative of refuser to refuse1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To refuse
Collins
World English Dictionary
refuse1 (rɪˈfjuːz) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (tr) to decline to accept (something offered): to refuse a present; to refuse promotion |
| 2. | to decline to give or grant (something) to (a person, organization, etc) |
| 3. | ( |
| 4. | (of a horse) to be unwilling to take (a jump), as by swerving or stopping |
| 5. | (tr) (of a woman) to declare one's unwillingness to accept (a suitor) as a husband |
| [C14: from Old French refuser, from Latin refundere to pour back; see | |
| re'fusable1 | |
| —adj | |
| re'fuser1 | |
| —n | |
| refuse2 (ˈrɛfjuːs) | |
| —n | |
| a. anything thrown away; waste; rubbish | |
| b. (as modifier): a refuse collection | |
| [C15: from Old French refuser to | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
refuse
c.1300, from O.Fr. refuser (12c.), from V.L. *refusare, frequentative of pp. stem of L. refundere "pour back, give back" (see refund). Refusal first recorded 1474. Refusenik "Soviet Jew who has been refused permission to emigrate to Israel" (1975) is a partial transl. of
Rus. otkaznik, from otkazat "to refuse."
refuse
late 14c. (adj.), "outcast;" meaning "waste, trash" is from c.1440; from O.Fr. refus "waste product, rubbish," a back-formation from the pp. of refuser (see refuse (v.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
It is kindness immediately to refuse what you intend to deny.
After all, they refuse to participate in your principal reduction program.
We will be walking along, and he will dig in his feet and refuse to move.
At present the auditors, actuaries and regulators involved say they have done their job properly or refuse to comment.
Nearby Words
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