Definitions for refuse
ˈrɛf yusrefuse

Princeton's WordNet(4.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. garbage, refuse, food waste, scraps(verb)

   food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)

2. refuse, decline(verb)

   show unwillingness towards

   "he declined to join the group on a hike"

3. refuse, reject, pass up, turn down, decline(verb)

   refuse to accept

   "He refused my offer of hospitality"

4. defy, resist, refuse(verb)

   elude, especially in a baffling way

   "This behavior defies explanation"

5. deny, refuse(verb)

   refuse to let have

   "She denies me every pleasure"; "he denies her her weekly allowance"

6. resist, reject, refuse(verb)

   resist immunologically the introduction of some foreign tissue or organ

   "His body rejected the liver of the donor"

7. reject, turn down, turn away, refuse(verb)

   refuse entrance or membership

   "They turned away hundreds of fans"; "Black people were often rejected by country clubs"

Webster Dictionary(3.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Refuse(verb)

   to deny, as a request, demand, invitation, or command; to decline to do or grant

   Etymology: [F. refuser, either from (assumed) LL. refusare to refuse, v. freq. of L. refundere to pour back, give back, restore (see Refund to repay), or. fr. L. recusare to decline, refuse cf. Accuse, Ruse), influenced by L. refutare to drive back, repel, refute. Cf. Refute.]

2. Refuse(verb)

   to throw back, or cause to keep back (as the center, a wing, or a flank), out of the regular aligment when troops ar/ about to engage the enemy; as, to refuse the right wing while the left wing attacks

   Etymology: [F. refuser, either from (assumed) LL. refusare to refuse, v. freq. of L. refundere to pour back, give back, restore (see Refund to repay), or. fr. L. recusare to decline, refuse cf. Accuse, Ruse), influenced by L. refutare to drive back, repel, refute. Cf. Refute.]

3. Refuse(verb)

   to decline to accept; to reject; to deny the request or petition of; as, to refuse a suitor

   Etymology: [F. refuser, either from (assumed) LL. refusare to refuse, v. freq. of L. refundere to pour back, give back, restore (see Refund to repay), or. fr. L. recusare to decline, refuse cf. Accuse, Ruse), influenced by L. refutare to drive back, repel, refute. Cf. Refute.]

4. Refuse(verb)

   to disown

   Etymology: [F. refuser, either from (assumed) LL. refusare to refuse, v. freq. of L. refundere to pour back, give back, restore (see Refund to repay), or. fr. L. recusare to decline, refuse cf. Accuse, Ruse), influenced by L. refutare to drive back, repel, refute. Cf. Refute.]

5. Refuse(verb)

   to deny compliance; not to comply

   Etymology: [F. refuser, either from (assumed) LL. refusare to refuse, v. freq. of L. refundere to pour back, give back, restore (see Refund to repay), or. fr. L. recusare to decline, refuse cf. Accuse, Ruse), influenced by L. refutare to drive back, repel, refute. Cf. Refute.]

6. Refuse(noun)

   refusal

   Etymology: [F. refuser, either from (assumed) LL. refusare to refuse, v. freq. of L. refundere to pour back, give back, restore (see Refund to repay), or. fr. L. recusare to decline, refuse cf. Accuse, Ruse), influenced by L. refutare to drive back, repel, refute. Cf. Refute.]

7. Refuse(noun)

   that which is refused or rejected as useless; waste or worthless matter

   Etymology: [F. refuser, either from (assumed) LL. refusare to refuse, v. freq. of L. refundere to pour back, give back, restore (see Refund to repay), or. fr. L. recusare to decline, refuse cf. Accuse, Ruse), influenced by L. refutare to drive back, repel, refute. Cf. Refute.]

8. Refuse(adj)

   refused; rejected; hence; left as unworthy of acceptance; of no value; worthless

   Etymology: [F. refuser, either from (assumed) LL. refusare to refuse, v. freq. of L. refundere to pour back, give back, restore (see Refund to repay), or. fr. L. recusare to decline, refuse cf. Accuse, Ruse), influenced by L. refutare to drive back, repel, refute. Cf. Refute.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Refuse

   rē-fūz′, v.t. to reject: to deny, as a request, &c.: to disown: to fail to receive, to repel: (mil.) to hold troops back from the regular alignment.—v.i. to decline acceptance: not to comply.—adj. Refū′sable, capable of being refused.—ns. Refū′sal, denial of anything requested: rejection: the right of taking in preference to others; Rēfū′ser. [Fr. refuser, prob. due to confusion of L. refutāre, to drive back, recusāre, to make an objection against.]

2. Refuse

   ref′ūs, adj. refused: worthless.—n. that which is rejected or left as worthless: dross.

3. Refuse

   rē-fūz′, v.t. to melt again.—n. Rēfū′sion, repeated fusion or melting, as of metals: restoration.

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. refuse

   Song lyrics by refuse -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by refuse on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'refuse' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4220

2. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'refuse' in Verbs Frequency: #218

How to pronounce refuse?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say refuse in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of refuse in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of refuse in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of refuse in a Sentence

1. Emeasoba George:

   To accept failure as an option is a clear evidence that your/one's will to succeed is not strong enough. So, refuse to accept failure as an option.

2. The Calvert County Health Department:

   People will not be denied food if they refuse to wear a mask, but we ask that everyone place the needs of medically vulnerable neighbors above their personal preferences.

3. Nate Lance:

   They will try to force them to convert, and if they refuse, they are banned from their villages, unable to live with or see their families, when they refuse to recant their faith, they are expelled from the community.

4. Bill Jennings:

   We cannot stand aside and watch species go extinct simply because special interests have captured our regulatory agencies and they refuse to comply with laws enacted to protect fish and water quality.

5. Mehmet Murat ildan:

   Refuse to seek for the road to paradise, because every beautiful place is already a paradise!

Images & Illustrations of refuse

Popularity rank by frequency of use