Meaning & use
refuse
To indicate clearly that one is unwilling to do, accept, or allow something.
See it in a sentence
She refused to sign the contract until the terms were changed.
He politely refused a second helping of dessert after the large meal.
A note on using this word
As a noun (stressed on the first syllable, REF-use), refuse means garbage or waste material, a completely different sense.
Words with a similar meaning
declinereject
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. noun
Waste material or garbage that is thrown away.
The city collects household refuse from the curb every Tuesday morning.
Make it your own
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