Meaning & use
reject
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To refuse to accept, believe, use, or agree to something or someone.
Grammar: Takes an object: reject the offer.
Patterns
- reject something
- reject someone
- reject something as something
- reject an offer/idea/plan
She rejected the job offer because the salary was too low.
The committee rejected his proposal for a new park.
He rejected the idea that money brings happiness.
nouncountable
A person or thing that has been turned down or discarded.
Grammar: Often used in the phrase 'a reject' or 'rejects'.
Patterns
- a reject
- rejects from something
The factory sold the rejects at a discount.
He felt like a reject after not being chosen for the team.
Word forms
| third person singular | rejects |
|---|---|
| past tense | rejected |
| past participle | rejected |
| -ing form | rejecting |
| plural | rejects |
Common combinations
- reject an offer
- She decided to reject the offer and look for other opportunities.
- reject a proposal
- The board rejected the proposal to cut costs.
- reject an idea
- Scientists initially rejected the idea that the earth moves around the sun.
- flatly reject
- He flatly rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- refuse
- Often used for offers or requests; reject is stronger and can suggest a formal or complete dismissal.
- decline
- More polite and formal, often used for invitations; reject is more direct and can sound harsh.
- dismiss
- Means to decide something is not important or not worth considering; reject means to say no to it.
- rebuff
- Formal and suggests a blunt or unfriendly refusal; reject is more general.
Opposites
Word family
- rejection noun
- The act of refusing to accept someone or something.
- rejective adjective
- Rare; tending to reject or refuse.
Commonly confused: reject or eject? reject or deject?
reject vs eject
Means to force someone or something out, often physically; reject means to refuse to accept.
reject vs deject
Usually in the adjective 'dejected', meaning sad and depressed; reject is about refusal.
Practice
The university ______ his application because he didn't meet the requirements.
Choose one answer.
We use 'rejected' for an application that is not accepted. 'Refused' and 'declined' are more often used for offers or invitations; 'denied' means saying something is not true or not allowing something, and is less common with 'application'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reject”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.