Refuse — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)

show unwillingness towards

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɹᵻfjˈuːz/

🇬🇧British English

/ɹɪfjˈuːz/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɹɪfjˈuːz/

2 syllables Say it as /ɹᵻfjˈuːz/.

Examples

he declined to join the group on a hike
He refused my offer of hospitality
This behavior defies explanation

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

resist scraps reject pass up food waste turn away garbage decline deny turn down defy

Antonyms

lend oneself accept admit allow

Parts of Speech

noun	food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)
verb	show unwillingness towards “he declined to join the group on a hike”
verb	refuse to accept “He refused my offer of hospitality”
verb	elude, especially in a baffling way “This behavior defies explanation”
verb	refuse to let have “She denies me every pleasure”
verb	resist immunologically the introduction of some foreign tissue or organ “His body rejected the liver of the donor”
verb	refuse entrance or membership “They turned away hundreds of fans”

Word Forms

refusal	noun	a message refusing to accept something that is offered
rejection	noun	the act of rejecting something
turndown	noun	the act of refusing an offer
declination	noun	a polite refusal of an invitation
denier	noun	one who denies
resistant	adjective	relating to or conferring immunity (to disease or infection)
reject	noun	the person or thing that is rejected or set aside as inferior in quality

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

verweigern

Lebensmittel, die weggeworfen werden (z. B. aus einer Küche)

🇫🇷French

refuser

nourriture jetée (comme dans une cuisine)

🇪🇸Spanish

rechazar

comida que se desecha (como de la cocina)

🇮🇹Italian

rifiutare

cibo che viene scartato (come da una cucina)

🇳🇱Dutch

weigeren

voedsel dat wordt weggegooid (zoals uit een keuken)

🇵🇹Portuguese

recusar

alimentos que são descartados (como na cozinha)

🇷🇺Russian

мусор

выброшенная еда (например, с кухни)

India

🇮🇳Hindi

अस्वीकार करना

खाना जो त्याग दिया जाता है (जैसे कि रसोई से)

🇧🇩Bengali

প্রত্যাখ্যান

বাতিল করা খাবার (একটি রান্নাঘর থেকে)

🇮🇳Tamil

மறுக்க

நிராகரிக்கப்பட்ட உணவு (சமையலறையில் இருந்து)

🇮🇳Telugu

తిరస్కరిస్తారు

విస్మరించబడిన ఆహారం (వంటగది నుండి)

🇮🇳Marathi

नकार

टाकून दिलेले अन्न (स्वयंपाकघरातून)

🇮🇳Gujarati

ઇનકાર

ખાદ્યપદાર્થો જે કાઢી નાખવામાં આવે છે (રસોડામાંથી)

🇮🇳Kannada

ನಿರಾಕರಿಸು

ತಿರಸ್ಕರಿಸಿದ ಆಹಾರ (ಅಡುಗೆಮನೆಯಿಂದ)

🇮🇳Malayalam

നിരസിക്കുക

ഉപേക്ഷിക്കപ്പെട്ട ഭക്ഷണം (അടുക്കളയിൽ നിന്ന് പോലെ)

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਇਨਕਾਰ

ਭੋਜਨ ਜੋ ਰੱਦ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ (ਜਿਵੇਂ ਕਿ ਰਸੋਈ ਤੋਂ)

🇵🇰Urdu

انکار

کھانا جو ضائع کیا جاتا ہے (جیسے باورچی خانے سے)

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

拒绝

丢弃的食物（例如从厨房丢弃的食物）

🇯🇵Japanese

拒否する

（キッチンからなど）廃棄される食品

🇰🇷Korean

거절하다

버려진 음식(예: 부엌에서)

🇻🇳Vietnamese

từ chối

thức ăn bị bỏ đi (như từ nhà bếp)

🇹🇭Thai

ปฏิเสธ

อาหารที่ถูกทิ้ง (เช่นจากครัว)

🇮🇩Indonesian

menolak

makanan yang dibuang (seperti dari dapur)

🇵🇭Filipino

tanggihan

pagkain na itinatapon (tulad ng mula sa kusina)

🇲🇾Malay

menolak

makanan yang dibuang (seperti dari dapur)

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

رفض

الطعام الذي يتم التخلص منه (مثل المطبخ)

🇮🇷Persian

رد کردن

غذاهای دور ریخته شده (مانند آشپزخانه)

🇹🇷Turkish

reddetmek

Atılan yiyecekler (mutfaktan olduğu gibi)

🇮🇱Hebrew

אַשׁפָּה

מזון שנזרק (כמו ממטבח)

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'refuse'?

The primary meaning of 'refuse' is 'food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'refuse' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'refuse' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'refuse' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'refuse' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'refuse' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'refuse' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'refuse' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'refuse' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'refuse' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'refuse' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted