refuse

[ri-fyooz] / rɪˈfyuz /

NOUN

garbage

Synonyms

STRONGEST

debris rubbish trash waste

STRONG

dregs dross dump dunghill dust hogwash junk leavings litter muck offal remains residue scraps scum sediment slop sweepings swill

WEAK

rejectamenta waste matter

Antonyms

STRONGEST

possessions sense

STRONG

cleanliness

WEAK

assets property

VERB

deny; say no

Synonyms

STRONGEST

decline ignore protest rebuff reject turn down withdraw withhold

STRONG

demur desist disaccord disallow disapprove dissent dodge evade nix regret repel reprobate repudiate shun spurn

WEAK

beg off brush off dispense with give thumbs down to hold back hold off hold out make excuses not budge not budget not buy not care to pass up refuse to receive send off send regrets set aside turn away turn deaf ear to turn from turn one's back on

Antonyms

STRONGEST

accept allow approve

STRONG

agree consent endorse face meet sanction

WEAK

OK grant offer

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They take inspiration from the characters in their daily lives and refuse to watch any other TV shows.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

The lower house National Assembly in January passed legislation demanding all social media platforms refuse new users under 15 and suspend accounts belonging to children under that age.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Those who refuse to do so are punished.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

While bots like ChatGPT often “sugarcoat” answers or refuse certain questions entirely, according to Lu, Grok is designed to provide unfiltered information by pulling directly from the real-time social data on X.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

I refuse to leave England until I determine their whereabouts.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

refuse

Example Sentences

Related Words