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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
Dan Freedman, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
In vignettes throughout the movie, Patrice portrays her younger self amid an ensemble of child actors (more than 100; some with disabilities) who play people from Patrice’s past in scenes that capture how many times she was rebuffed (intentionally and not) by people and systems.
—Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 18 Dec. 2024
The light-skinned kid, Turner (Brandon Wilson), rebuffs Elwood’s gesture in response, thinking him presumptuous or fey, probably.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
Why do some democracies rebuff these kinds of attacks while others fall?
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rebuff 
Dictionary Entries Near rebuff
Cite this Entry
“Rebuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebuff. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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