re·fus·al

/rıˈfjuːzəl/ noun, pl -als [count]

: an act of saying or showing that you will not do, give, or accept something : an act of refusing

My request for more money was met with a flat/firm refusal.

— often + of

Her refusal of the job surprised us.

— often followed by to + verb

She worried about his stubborn/steadfast refusal to eat.

(the right of) first refusal

: the right to accept or refuse something before it is offered to anyone else

If we decide to sell the house, we'll give our tenants first refusal. [=we will offer to sell the house to our tenants before offering to sell to other people]