adj · noun · verb · 16 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
rĕfʹyo͞os
/ˈɹɛfjuːs/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rĭfyo͞ozʹ
Received-Pronunciation:/ɹɪˈfjuːz/
London:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, General-American:/ɹɪˈfjuz/
California:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australian:/ɹɪˈfjʉːz/
New-Zealand:/ɹəˈfjʉːz/
rhymes with -uːz
rēfyo͞ozʹ
/ɹiːˈfjuːz/
CMU ARPABET:R AH0 F Y UW1 Z
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:R EH1 F Y UW2 Z
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 3:R IH0 F Y UW1 Z
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Discarded, rejected.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Collectively, items or material that have been discarded; rubbish, garbage.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
refusal
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To decline (a request or demand).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
My request for a pay rise was refused.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
To decline a request or demand, forbear; to withhold permission.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
I refuse to listen to this nonsense any more.
I asked the star if I could have her autograph, but she refused.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
verb
Meaning 6
To withhold (something) from (someone); to not give it to them or to bar them from having it.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ditransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
verb
Meaning 7
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: government, military, politics, war
Examples
to refuse the right wing while the left wing attacks
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
verb
Meaning 8
To disown.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
verb
Meaning 9
To fuse again, as with, or after, heating or melting.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
noun
Meaning 10
food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
resist immunologically the introduction of some foreign tissue or organ
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
His body rejected the liver of the donor
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: resist, reject
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: react, respond
History
Etymology
Borrowed into late Middle English from Middle French refusé, past participle of refuser (“to refuse”). Displaced native Middle English wernen (“to refuse”) likely due to the similar sounding Middle English warnen
From Middle English refusen, from Old French refuser, from Vulgar Latin *refūsāre, a blend of Classical Latin refūtāre (whence also refute) and recūsāre (whence also recuse).
Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- English fuse English refuse From re- + fuse.
Across languages
Translations
199 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
vullis
— items or material that have been discarded
Afrikaans:
rommel
— items or material that have been discarded
Albanian:
mbetje
— items or material that have been discarded
Bulgarian:
отпадъци
(otpadǎci)
— items or material that have been discarded
Catalan:
rebuig
— items or material that have been discarded
Cherokee:
ᎤᏲ
(uyo)
— items or material that have been discarded
Chinese Mandarin:
垃圾
(lājī, lèsè)
— items or material that have been discarded
Czech:
odpad
— items or material that have been discarded
Danish:
affald
— items or material that have been discarded
Dutch:
afval
— items or material that have been discarded
Dutch:
vuilnis
— items or material that have been discarded
Finnish:
jäte
— items or material that have been discarded
French:
ordures
— items or material that have been discarded
French:
déchets
— items or material that have been discarded
French:
détritus
— items or material that have been discarded
Galician:
lixo
— items or material that have been discarded
German:
Abfall
— items or material that have been discarded
German:
Müll
— items or material that have been discarded
Greek:
απορρίματα
(aporrímata)
— items or material that have been discarded
Ancient Greek:
φορυτός
(phorutós)
— items or material that have been discarded
Ancient Greek:
σκύβαλον
(skúbalon)
— items or material that have been discarded
Hindi:
कूड़ा
(kūṛā)
— items or material that have been discarded
Hindi:
कचरा
(kacrā)
— items or material that have been discarded
Hungarian:
hulladék
— items or material that have been discarded
Hungarian:
szemét
— items or material that have been discarded
Indonesian:
sampah
— items or material that have been discarded
Irish:
bruscar
— items or material that have been discarded
Irish:
dríodar
— items or material that have been discarded
Irish:
fuílleach
— items or material that have been discarded
Italian:
rifiuti
— items or material that have been discarded
Japanese:
ごみ
(gomi)
— items or material that have been discarded
Korean:
쓰레기
(sseuregi)
— items or material that have been discarded
Lao:
ຂີ້ເຫຍື້ອ
(khī hư̄ai)
— items or material that have been discarded
Latin:
quisquiliae
— items or material that have been discarded
Latin:
scrūta
— items or material that have been discarded
Māori:
parapara
— items or material that have been discarded
Māori:
para
— items or material that have been discarded
Māori:
kapurangi
— items or material that have been discarded
Norwegian Bokmål:
avfall
— items or material that have been discarded
Plautdietsch:
Aufgank
— items or material that have been discarded
Polish:
odrzuty
— items or material that have been discarded
Portuguese:
lixo
— items or material that have been discarded
Portuguese:
descartado
— items or material that have been discarded
Russian:
отбро́сы
(otbrósy)
— items or material that have been discarded
Russian:
отхо́ды
(otxódy)
— items or material that have been discarded
Russian:
му́сор
(músor)
— items or material that have been discarded
Spanish:
basura
— items or material that have been discarded
Spanish:
desechos
— items or material that have been discarded
Spanish:
rehús
— items or material that have been discarded
Spanish:
rejús
— items or material that have been discarded
Spanish:
rebús
— items or material that have been discarded
Swedish:
avfall
— items or material that have been discarded
Swedish:
avskräde
— items or material that have been discarded
Swedish:
skräp
— items or material that have been discarded
Swedish:
sopor
— items or material that have been discarded
Swedish:
rens
— items or material that have been discarded
Thai:
ขยะ
(kà-yà)
— items or material that have been discarded
Ukrainian:
відхо́ди
(vidxódy)
— items or material that have been discarded
Ukrainian:
сміття́
(smittjá)
— items or material that have been discarded
Welsh:
sbwriel
— items or material that have been discarded
Welsh:
sothach
— items or material that have been discarded