refused 1 of 2

adjective

as in rejected

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refused

2 of 2

verb

past tense of refuse
1
as in denied
to be unwilling to grant the reclusive movie star usually refuses requests for interviews

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in declined
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to she refused the award, citing the hard work of others who deserved the recognition more than she did

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of refused
Adjective
Eight were transported to a local hospital and four refused transport. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Verb
In the criminal complaint, the officer alleges Bowman pulled his hands away and refused commands to put them behind his back. — Shelley Bortz, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026 Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered his resignation, which Macron refused. — Ariella Noveck, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 At police headquarters, Martin allegedly refused to take a field sobriety test and to provide a statement. — Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026 When Amanchukwu refused to sit down, Knight directed police officers to escort him from the meeting. — Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2026 The union said negotiations were stalled because the state didn’t have a proposal drawing them to the bargaining table while CalHR said the union refused to negotiate unless there were concessions on the four-day return-to-office mandate. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026 That protection lives below the application layer, so a mistake in the interface cannot leak what the data layer already refused to release. — Murali Rajendran, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Allegedly, King Charles has urged Harry and William to make amends, but William has refused. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 Oct. 2026 The woman, who also reported it to the league, alleged that Jackson refused to delete the video and taunted her with it. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refused
  1. vetoed
  2. denied
  3. rejected
  4. stopped
  5. declined
  6. ignored
Adjective
  • The Zach Werenski situation spiraled into a vetoed trade to the Stars, then settled.
    — Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • The vetoed bills aimed to create a regulated retail market, new oversight bodies, public health and equity programs, and a rollout schedule for licensing, regulations, and enforcement.
    — Dario Sabaghi, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026
Definition of vetoed
Verb
  • Opposition activists have accused Venezuela's government of blocking Machado's return, a claim denied by Venezuelan authorities.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Opposition activists have accused Venezuela’s government of blocking Machado’s return, a claim denied by Venezuelan authorities.
    — Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of denied
Verb
  • The Offer At My Front Door During my time on the council, a developer appealed to us after the planning board rejected his plan for condos overlooking the largest lake in town.
    — Jim Carlough, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The bill is due before lawmakers on Tuesday, after the finance committee rejected it.
    — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of rejected
Adjective
  • The girl with a backpack on could be seen crossing the street while looking at her phone before the stopped truck began moving beside her, in videos obtained by ABC station WPVI and CBS station KYW.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The crash drew a crowd from the stopped traffic, who quickly spread photos and videos of the driver on social media.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of stopped
Verb
  • But Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, widely viewed as a potential top contender for the position, has declined to pledge not to run.
    — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Aguilar declined to take the rest of the day off but then activated the fire alarm system after the meeting and tried to leave the building.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of declined
Verb
  • The South's military made a proposal for similar talks in November that the North ignored.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Haredi groups have held public protests, and many have ignored draft notices.
    — Hannah Ridge, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of ignored

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Cite this Entry

“Refused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refused. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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