re|fus´er

re|fuse¹ «rih FYOOZ», verb, -fused, -fus|ing.

–v.t.

1. to say no to; decline to accept; reject: »

He refuses the offer. She refused him when he asked her to marry him.

2. to deny (a request, demand, or invitation); decline to give or grant: »

to refuse admittance.

3. to say one will not do, give, or allow something; decline (to do something): »

to refuse to discuss a question. He refuses to obey.

4. to decline to jump over: »

The black horse refused the fence.

5. to hold or move (troops) back from the regular alignment, when about to meet the enemy.

6. Obsolete. to give up; abandon; renounce: »

Deny thy father and refuse hy name (Shakespeare).

–v.i.

to say no; decline to accept or consent: »

She is free to refuse.

╂[< Old French refuser < Latin refundere; see etym. under refund¹ (Cf. ↑refund)]

–re|fus´er, noun.

Synonym Study transitive verb. 1 Refuse, decline, reject mean not to accept something offered. Refuse implies a direct and sometimes an ungracious denial: »

He flatly refused to go with me after our quarrel.

Decline is more polite, implying reluctant rather than direct denial: »

He declined my invitation because of a previous appointment.

Reject is more emphatic than refuse, implying a very positive denial: »

He rejected my friendly advice upon further consideration.

ref|use² «REHF yoos», noun, adjective,

–n.

1. useless stuff; waste; rubbish: »

The garbagemen took away all refuse from the streets.

SYNONYM(S): trash.

2. the scum, dregs, or outcast portions of something.

–adj.

rejected as worthless or of little value; useless: »

Every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly (I Samuel 15:9).

╂[probably < Old French refus refusal; also, what is refused; (literally) past participle of refuser; see etym. under refuse¹ (Cf. ↑refuse)]