rebuff

[ noun ri-buhf, ree-buhf; verb ri-buhf ]

noun

1. a blunt or abrupt rejection, as of a person making advances.
2. a peremptory refusal of a request, offer, etc.; snub.
3. a check to action or progress.

verb (used with object)

1. to give a rebuff to; check; repel; refuse; drive away.

   Synonyms: spurn, reject, slight, snub

rebuff

/ rɪˈbʌf /

verb

1. to snub, reject, or refuse (a person offering help or sympathy, an offer of help, etc) abruptly or out of hand
2. to beat back (an attack); repel

noun

1. a blunt refusal or rejection; snub
2. any sudden check to progress or action

Other Words From

• re·buffa·ble adjective
• re·buffa·bly adverb
• unre·buffa·ble adjective
• unre·buffed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rebuff¹

1580–90; < Middle French rebuffer < Italian ribuffare to disturb, reprimand, derivative of ribuffo (noun), equivalent to ri- re- + buffo puff; buffoon

Word History and Origins

Origin of rebuff¹

C16: from Old French rebuffer , from Italian ribuffare , from ribuffo a reprimand, from ri- re- + buffo puff, gust, apparently of imitative origin

Example Sentences

There is, however, a simple step you could take that would both demonstrate your disapproval and rebuff a company that really makes this country worse.

From Slate

When, a few hours into a training swim, my right shoulder muscle would insist that it couldn’t do the catch, pull, release of one more stroke, I would rebuff its claim, replying that there was no place on earth that I would rather be.

From Slate

“If anyone dared rebuff his call to pay bribes, he punished them and their city projects, threatening developers with indefinitely delayed projects and financial peril,” according to the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

And yet the high court’s fatal rebuff of Williams on Tuesday suggests that a majority of justices will conclude that this world would be a better place if Glossip, too, is executed before we can untangle what went wrong in his deeply flawed prosecution.

From Slate

Anyway, it’s questionable whether the Senate could legally rebuff the governor’s call for a special session.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• chide
• deny
• dismiss
• disregard
• fend off
• ignore
• oppose
• rebuke
• refuse
• reject
• repudiate
• resist
• snub
• spurn
• turn down