Search results
- DictionaryRef·use/rəˈfyo͞oz/
verb
- 1. indicate or show that one is not willing to do something: "I refused to answer"
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.
REFUSE definition: 1. to say that you will not do or accept something: 2. unwanted waste material, especially…. Learn more.
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.
To refuse is to decline, deny, reject, or resist. If a stranger offers you candy, you should politely refuse. As a noun, refuse (pronounced REF-yooss) is food waste, scraps, or garbage. As a verb, refuse (pronounced ree-FYOOZ) means to reject. If you’re mad at me, you’ll probably refuse my invitation to hang out.
6 days ago · 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.
1. 2. noun. 1.a. c1390–. Anything that is rejected, discarded, or thrown away; rubbish, waste, residue; (now esp.) household waste. Formerly also as a count noun. Also figurative and in figurative contexts. In early use also spec.: wool (or silk) of the poorest quality (see quots. 1443–5, 1455–6 ).
B1. to say that you will not do or accept something: I asked him to leave but he refused. [ + to do sth ] Cathy refuses to admit that she was wrong. Fewer examples. I refuse to compromise my principles. If you refuse to obey the law, you'll be arrested. The Pentagon refused to comment on potential military targets.
Definition of refuse 1 verb from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. refuse 1. verb. /rɪˈfyuz/ Verb Forms. [intransitive, transitive] to say that you will not do something that someone has asked you to do Go on, ask her; she can hardly refuse. refuse to do something He flatly refused to discuss the matter.
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English re‧fuse1 /rɪˈfjuːz/ S2 W1 verb 1 [ intransitive] to say firmly that you will not do something that someone has asked you to do She asked him to leave, but he refused. refuse to do something The chairman refused to answer any more questions.
1. a. To indicate unwillingness to do, accept, give, or allow: She was refused admittance. He refused treatment. b. To indicate unwillingness (to do something): refused to leave. 2. To decline to jump (an obstacle). Used of a horse. v.intr. To decline to do, accept, give, or allow something.
