refuse
(verb, noun)
past tense: refused
LISTEN
Refuse
If you refuse, it means that you say no to something.
- I asked to use his computer but he refused.
If you refuse to do something, it means that you don’t do it.
- They’re refusing to speak to me.
If you refuse something, it means that you don’t take something that someone wants to give you.
- She refused my help.
Refuse means ‘trash’ or ‘garbage.’
- All our refuse goes into a big hole in the ground.
Did you know?
When refuse means ‘garbage,’ we say it differently and put the emphasis on the first syllable.
In pop culture
In this video from the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, the Beast wants Belle to eat dinner with him, but she refuses to leave her room. He asks her two times to eat with him. The second time, is he more polite or less polite?
There are other meanings of refuse.
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