refuse
See also: refusé and re-fuse
English
Etymology 1
Borrowed into late Middle English from Middle French refusé, past participle of refuser (“to refuse”). Displaced native Middle English wernen (“to refuse”)
Pronunciation
- enPR: rĕfʹyo͞os, IPA(key): /ˈɹɛfjuːs/
Audio (UK) (file)
Adjective
refuse (comparative more refuse, superlative most refuse)
- Discarded, rejected.
Noun
refuse (uncountable)
- Collectively, items or material that have been discarded; rubbish, garbage.
Synonyms
- discards
- garbage (US)
- rubbish (UK)
- trash (US)
- See also Thesaurus:trash
Translations
items or material that have been discarded
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Etymology 2
From Middle English refusen, from Old French refuser, from Vulgar Latin *refusō, a blend of Classical Latin refutō and recusō.
Pronunciation
- enPR: rĭfyo͞ozʹ, IPA(key): /ɹɪˈfjuːz/
Audio (UK) (file) Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -uːz
Verb
refuse (third-person singular simple present refuses, present participle refusing, simple past and past participle refused)
- (transitive) To decline (a request or demand).
- My request for a pay rise was refused.
- (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 964384981, Isaiah 1:20:
- If ye refuse […] ye shall be devoured with the sword.
- 2011 September 27, Alistair Magowan, “Bayern Munich 2 - 0 Man City”, in BBC Sport:
- City were outclassed thereafter and Roberto Mancini said that substitute Carlos Tevez refused to play.
- 2018, Michael Cottakis – LSE, “Colliding worlds: Donald Trump and the European Union”, in LSE's blog:
- Trump has explicitly refused to deal with the European Commission, seeking instead to conduct bilateral relations with individual EU countries.
- 2022 November 2, Paul Bigland, “New trains, old trains, and splendid scenery”, in RAIL, number 969, page 58:
- My thoughts are disturbed by a man and pooch trying to get off the front of the train. Despite hitting the door button, they refused to open.
- (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
- (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 606515358, [Act II, scene ii]:
- Refuse thy name.
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Usage notes
- This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs.
Conjugation
Conjugation of refuse
infinitive | (to) refuse | ||
---|---|---|---|
present tense | past tense | ||
1st-person singular | refuse | refused | |
2nd-person singular | refuse, refusest† | refused, refusedst† | |
3rd-person singular | refuses, refuseth† | refused | |
plural | refuse | ||
subjunctive | refuse | refused | |
imperative | refuse | — | |
participles | refusing | refused |
†Archaic or obsolete.
Synonyms
- (decline): decline, reject, nill, say no to, turn down, veto, withsake, withsay
- (decline a request or demand): say no, forbear
Translations
(transitive) decline (request, demand)
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(intransitive) decline a request or demand
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Noun
refuse
- (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 940138160, stanza 13, page 215:
- This ſpoken, readie with a proud refuſe [...]
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Etymology 3
re- + fuse
Pronunciation
- enPR: rēfyo͞ozʹ, IPA(key): /ɹiːˈfjuːz/
- Rhymes: -uːz
Verb
refuse (third-person singular simple present refuses, present participle refusing, simple past and past participle refused)
- To melt again.
Conjugation
Conjugation of refuse
infinitive | (to) refuse | ||
---|---|---|---|
present tense | past tense | ||
1st-person singular | refuse | refused | |
2nd-person singular | |||
3rd-person singular | refuses | ||
plural | refuse | ||
subjunctive | refuse | refused | |
imperative | refuse | — | |
participles | refusing | refused |
Related terms
- refusion
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʁə.fyz/
Audio (file)
Verb
refuse
- inflection of refuser:
- first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
- second-person singular imperative
Anagrams
- férues
Latin
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /reˈfuː.se/, [rɛˈfuːs̠ɛ]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /reˈfu.se/, [reˈfuːs̬e]
Participle
refūse
- vocative masculine singular of refūsus
References
- “refuse”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press