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54 results for: refuse

Dictionary Entries (18 more entries. View all »)
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
ref·use2    Audio Help   [ref-yoos] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.something that is discarded as worthless or useless; rubbish; trash; garbage.
–adjective
2.rejected as worthless; discarded: refuse matter.
[Origin: 1325–75; ME < MF; OF refus denial, rejection, deriv. of refuser to refuse1]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
re·fuse1    Audio Help   [ri-fyooz] Pronunciation Key verb, -fused, -fus·ing.
–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.
[Origin: 1300–50; ME refusen < MF refuser, OF ≪ L refūsus, ptp. of refundere to pour back; see refund1]

—Related forms
re·fus·a·ble, adjective
re·fus·er, noun

—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.
—Antonyms 1. accept, welcome.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Thesaurus Entries
  Roget's II: The New Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry:  refuse
Part of Speech:  verb
Definition:  To be unwilling to grant.
Synonyms:  deny, disallow, turn down, withhold
Source:  Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition
by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary.
Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

  Roget's II: The New Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry:  decline
Part of Speech:  verb
Definition:  To be unwilling to accept, consider, or receive.
Synonyms:  dismiss, reject, spurn, turn down
Source:  Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition
by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary.
Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.


Encyclopedia Articles (31 more entries. View all »)
Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia - Cite This Source

refuse: see solid waste.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004, Columbia University Press.
Licensed from Columbia University Press


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