refuse
/ɹɪˈfjuːzɪŋ/ · re·fuse
verb
- To decline (a request or demand). My request for a pay rise was refused.
- To decline a request or demand, forbear; to withhold permission. I asked the star if I could have her autograph, but she refused.
- 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
- To melt again. The ice refused to melt in the cold temperatures.
noun
- Something that is refused or rejected. The refused package was returned to the sender.
noun
- A person who refuses or rejects something. The refused applicant was told they could reapply in six months.
Did you know? The word 'refuse' has been used in various contexts, including in the phrase 'refuse to accept', which was famously used by the character Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen's novel 'Pride and Prejudice'.