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Many English verbs begin with the prefix re-, meaning “again” or “backward,” so we wouldn’t criticize you for drawing a connection between rebuff and buff, a verb meaning “to polish or shine.” But rebuff would beg to differ: this word comes to us from the Middle French verb rebuffer, which traces back to the Old Italian ribuffare, meaning “to reprimand.” (Buff, in contrast, comes from the Middle French noun 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 “The proposal was met with a stern rebuff from the Board of Trustees.”
Examples of rebuff in a Sentence
Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2025
The Red Sox wanted either Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo, two of the Mariners' most prized young starting pitchers, but the Mariners rebuffed the overture.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025
When the office of Senator Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Mexico, contacted ICE asking for more information about the March 12th press release—the kind of request to which ICE had typically responded in the past—it was rebuffed.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2025
Iran has rebuffed Trump's efforts to initiate direct negotiations, saying the country preferred to negotiate through an intermediary.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebuff
Cite this Entry
“Rebuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebuff. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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