Meaning & use
refuse
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To say clearly that you will not do something that you are asked or expected to do.
Grammar: Followed by to plus a verb: refuse to leave.
Patterns
- refuse to do something
She refused to answer the question.
The child refused to eat the vegetables.
He asked twice, but they refused.
verbtransitive
To decline to accept something that is offered or to give permission or entry.
Grammar: Takes a direct object, sometimes two: refuse someone something.
Patterns
- refuse something
- refuse someone something
He refused the offer of a lift.
The bank refused her a loan.
The guard refused them entry.
noununcountableformal
Rubbish or waste that has been thrown away.
Grammar: Pronounced differently from the verb, with stress on the first syllable (REF-yoos).
Patterns
- refuse collection
- refuse bin
The refuse is collected every Tuesday.
Piles of refuse lay along the road.
The council runs a refuse service.
Word forms
| third person singular | refuses |
|---|---|
| past tense | refused |
| past participle | refused |
| -ing form | refusing |
Common combinations
- flatly refuse
- He flatly refused to apologize.
- politely refuse
- She politely refused the invitation.
- refuse to budge
- The donkey refused to budge.
- refuse entry
- The club refused entry to anyone without a ticket.
- refuse point-blank
- She refused point-blank to lend him money.
Synonyms and how they differ
- decline
- Decline is politer and softer than refuse, and is often used for invitations.
- reject
- Reject means to turn something down after considering it, and is firmer than refuse.
- turn down
- Turn down is the casual phrasal verb for refusing an offer or an application.
- deny
- Deny means to say something is not true or to withhold something, which is different from simply saying no.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: refuse or refuge? refuse or refute?
refuse vs refuge
Refuge is a place of shelter, not the act of saying no.
refuse vs refute
Refute means to prove a claim wrong, which is different from refusing.
Practice
When the waiter offered dessert, Anna politely ____ and asked for the bill.
Choose one answer.
Refused means she said no. Refuted would mean proving a claim wrong, and the other words do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “refuse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.