Occurring frequently in news articles and headlines, rebuff derives (via Middle French rebuffer) from Old Italian ribuffare, meaning "to reprimand," and ultimately from the imitative verb buffare, meaning "to puff." (You might guess that the verb buff, meaning "to polish," is a buffare descendant, but it is actually unrelated. It is derived from Middle French buffle, meaning "wild ox.") A similar word, rebuke, shares the "criticize" sense of rebuff, but not the "reject" sense (one can rebuke another's actions or policies, but one does not rebuke the advances of another, for example). Like rebuke, rebuff can also be used as a noun, as in "His proposal was met with a stern rebuff from the Board of Trustees."
Examples of rebuff in a Sentence
Our suggestion was immediately rebuffed.
The company rebuffed the bid.
She rebuffed him when he asked her for a date.
Recent Examples on the WebHe was rebuffed and sat out the 1978-79 season in protest.—Julia Reinstein, ABC News, 27 May 2024 And twice in as many weeks, key city committees have rebuffed their efforts, signaling a disinterest in blocking the project, which the university maintains needs no zoning variances.—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 19 May 2024 As mayor in 2009, Dixon tried once before to institute a land bank, but was rebuffed by City Council members concerned about transparency and its financial feasibility.—Emily Opilo, Baltimore Sun, 8 May 2024 Zelenskyy sought to return to Cannes last year but was rebuffed.—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 14 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for rebuff
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rebuff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle French rebuffer, from Old Italian ribuffare to reprimand, from ribuffo reprimand
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