refuse
Etymology 1

Borrowed into late Middle English from Middle French refusé, past participle of refuser ("to refuse").

Pronunciation
  • enPR: rĕfʹyo͞os, IPA: /ˈɹɛfjuːs/
Adjective

refuse

  1. Discarded, rejected.
Noun

refuse (uncountable)

  1. Collectively, items or material that have been discarded; rubbish, garbage.
Synonyms Translations Etymology 2

From Middle English refusen, from Old French refuser, from Vulgar Latin *refūsāre, a blend of Classical Latin refutō (whence also refute) and recūsāre (whence also recuse).

Pronunciation
  • enPR: rĭfyo͞ozʹ, IPA: /ɹɪˈfjuːz/
Verb

refuse (refuses, present participle refusing; simple past and past participle refused)

  1. (transitive) To decline (a request or demand).
    My request for a pay rise was refused.
  2. (intransitive) To decline a request or demand, forbear; to withhold permission.
    I refuse to listen to this nonsense any more.
    I asked the star if I could have her autograph, but she refused.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Isaiah 1:20 ↗:
      If ye refuse […] ye shall be devoured with the sword.
  3. (ditransitive) To withhold (something) from (someone); to not give it to them or to bar them from having it.
  4. (military) To throw back, or cause to keep back (as the centre, a wing, or a flank), out of the regular alignment when troops are about to engage the enemy.
    to refuse the right wing while the left wing attacks
  5. (obsolete, transitive) To disown.
    • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act II, scene ii]:
      Refuse thy name.
Conjugation Synonyms Translations Translations Noun

refuse

  1. (obsolete) refusal
    • 1600, [Torquato Tasso], “The Twelfth Booke of Godfrey of Bulloigne”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC ↗, stanza 13, page 215 ↗:
      This ſpoken, readie with a proud refuſe [...]
Etymology 3

From re- + fuse.

Pronunciation
  • enPR: rēfyo͞ozʹ, IPA: /ɹiːˈfjuːz/
Verb

refuse (refuses, present participle refusing; simple past and past participle refused)

  1. To fuse again, as with, or after, heating or melting.
Conjugation Related terms


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